Alleviating Specific Phobias Experienced by Children Trial
Background
A specific phobia is a type of anxiety disorder which causes an overwhelming and unbearable fear and avoidance of whatever is causing the fear (e.g. an animal, situation, activity, etc.). It is estimated that between 5% and 10% of children have a specific phobia which impacts on their everyday lives and lasts for an average of about 20 years. Despite this, fewer than 10% report asking for help with their phobia. Specific phobias can cause distress and considerable problems at home and school and interfere with day-to-day activities.
The most common treatment for specific phobias in the UK is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a type of talking therapy that uses different techniques to help people to change unhelpful patterns of thinking around specific phobias. However, CBT usually requires multiple sessions and so it is expensive in terms of time. Additionally, people need to attend several sessions which can result in them not completing them all.
A promising alternative to CBT is One Session Treatment (OST). Unlike CBT, OST does not require an extensive treatment period. Instead, a combination of treatment techniques including graduated exposure therapy, participant modelling, reinforcement, psycho-education, cognitive challenges and skills training are consolidated into a single three-hour session. However, OST has not been compared to the routine and most successful treatment for specific phobias, CBT.
The ASPECT Trial
The ASPECT trial has two broad aims; i) to investigate whether OST can have a similar effect on specific phobias as CBT; and ii) to investigate whether OST offers value for money when compared to CBT.
ASPECT will recruit children and young people from recruitment sites across England.
When recruited, participants will be randomised to receive either standard CBT therapy, or to receive OST. Moreover, psychological interventions are often trialled in optimal conditions that are most favourable to the intervention. That is, they are tested under tight experimental control that allows the researchers to manipulate aspects of the intervention that may not be possible in a real world setting. However, ASPECT aims to conduct a pragmatic trial (i.e. a trial under real conditions within the NHS) in order to investigate whether OST is an effective, economically viable intervention option for use within care provision across the NHS.
Recruitment status
The study is currently open for recruitment in:
- Humber
- Leeds
- Norfolk
- Northumberland, Tyne and Wear
- Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber
- South Tyneside
- South West Yorkshire
- Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys
Need more information?
Please visit ASPECTs ISRCTN registration page for more information about the study at http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN19883421. Alternatively, please contact Dr Catarina Teige (details below).
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Project team
| Name | Role | Organisation | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Barry Wright | Chief Investigator | Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | barry.wright1@nhs.net |
| Professor Cindy Cooper | Director, CTRU | CTRU, University of Sheffield |
+44 114 222 0743 |
| Katie Biggs | Lead Trial Manager | CTRU, University of Sheffield |
+44 114 222 6128 |
| Catarina Teige | Trial Co-ordinator (York) | Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | c.teige@nhs.net |
| Emily Hayward | Research Assistant (York & Humber) | Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | Emily.hayward@nhs.net |
| Joseph Horne | Research Assistant (North East & North Cumbria) | NIHR CRN: North East and North Cumbria | Joseph.Horne@ntw.nhs.uk |
|
Kayte Russell |
Research Assistant (Norfolk) | Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust | |
|
Catherine Gray |
Research Assistant (Norfolk) | Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Heather Dakin | Trials Support Officer | CTRU, University of Sheffield |
+44 114 222 4266 |
| Kirsty Pemberton | Data Management | CTRU, University of Sheffield |
+44 114 222 0861 |
| Dawn Teare | Statistician | Newcastle University |
+44 114 222 6398 |
| Ellen Lee | Statistician | CTRU, University of Sheffield |
+44 114 22 20805 |
Participating sites
| Site | Principal Investigator |
|---|---|
| Humber NHS Foundation Trust | Patrick O'Connor |
| Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust |
Dr Katie Glazebrook |
| Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust | Dr Jonathan Wilson |
| Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust |
Dr Lina Gega |
| Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust |
Dr Adrian Phillipson |
| South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust | Dr Lina Gega |
| South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust |
Dr Simon Eltringham |
| Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust |
Funder
This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) Programme (project number This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) Programme (project number 15/38/04). Any views or opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the HTA programme, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health.). Any views or opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the HTA programme, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health.
Sponsor
ASPECT is sponsored by the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Trust.