Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T18:24:14.268Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Factors Associated With Parental Consent to use D-Cycloserine for Child Anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2017

Simon P. Byrne ,
Ronald M. Rapee  and
Naomi Sweller
Simon P. Byrne*
Affiliation:
Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Ronald M. Rapee
Affiliation:
Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Naomi Sweller
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Simon P. Byrne, Yale Child Study Center, 230 South Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT, USA 06520. Email: simonbyrne51@hotmail.com
Get access

Abstract

This study examined factors influencing parent willingness to use D-Cycloserine (DCS) for treating child anxiety. N = 222 parents were given information about using DCS to treat anxiety. They were then asked to rate their willingness to allow their child to take DCS/antibiotics for mild anxiety, severe anxiety, or an infection. The associations between willingness to use DCS and parental trait anxiety, demographics, as well as specific concerns regarding the medication, were examined. Parents could also provide written responses regarding their attitudes to DCS, which were analysed for themes. Parents reported concerns regarding potential side-effects from DCS. More severe anxiety was associated with more willingness to consent; however, parents were more willing to use antibiotics to treat an infection than DCS to treat their child's anxiety. The degree of perceived benefit from DCS was most strongly associated with parents’ willingness to use it. Overall, parents expressed mixed views, reporting they would consider using DCS to treat their child; however, they had significant concerns about it. Results suggest providing parents with information explaining how DCS works, its risks and potential benefits may increase its acceptability.

Keywords

d-cycloserineanxietyphobiapanic disorderside-effects
Type
Standard Papers
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , April 2017 , pp. 66 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown, A., Deacon, B., Abramowitz, J., Dammann, J., & Whiteside, S. (2007). Parents’ perception of pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatments for childhood anxiety disorders. Behavior Research and Therapy, 45, 819–828.Google Scholar
Byrne, S.P., Farrell, L.J., Storch, E., & Rapee, R.M. (2014). D-cycloserine augmented treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents: A review of preliminary research. Psychopathology Review, 1, 157–168.Google Scholar
Byrne, S., Rapee, R., Malhi, G., Richardson, R., Jones, M., & Hudson, J. (2015). D-cycloserine enhances generalization of fear extinction in children. Depression and Anxiety, 32, 408–414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chavira, D., Stein, M., Bailey, K., & Stein, M. (2003). Parental opinions regarding treatment for social anxiety disorder in youth. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 24, 315–322.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Creamer, M., Foran, J., & Bell, R. (1995). The Beck Anxiety Inventory in a non-clinical sample. Behavior Research and Therapy, 33, 477–485.Google Scholar
Cross-Calvert, S., & Johnston, C. (1990). Acceptability of treatments for child behavior problems: Issues and implications for future research. Journal of Clinical Child Psychololgy, 19, 61–74.Google Scholar
Deacon, B.J., & Abramowitz, J.S. (2005). Patients’ perceptions of pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety disorders. Behavior Therapy, 36, 139–145.Google Scholar
Farrell, L.J., Waters, A.M., Boschen, M.J., Hattingh, L., McConnell, H., Milliner, E.L., . . . Storch, E.A. (2013). Difficult to treat pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder: feasibility and preliminary results of a randomized pilot trial of D-Cycloserine augmented behavior therapy, Depression and Anxiety, 30, 723–731.Google Scholar
Gage, & Wilson, (2000). Acceptability of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A comparison of parents. Journal of Attention Disorders, 4, 178–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hofmann, S.G. (2014). D-cycloserine for treating anxiety disorders: Making good exposures better and bad exposures worse. Depression and Anxiety, 31, 175–177.Google Scholar
Hong, S., & Shepherd, M. (1996). Psychosocial and demographic predictors of pediatric psychotropic medication use. American Journal of Health Systems Pharmacy, 53, 1934–1939.Google Scholar
Hatzimanolis, I., & Alevizos, V. (1999). Attitudes and opinion of non-psychiatric physicians and a general population sample about psychotropic drugs. Psychiatry, 10, 135–141.Google Scholar
Johnston, C., Hommersen, P., & Seipp, C. (2008). Acceptability of behavioral and pharmacological treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Relations to child and and parent characteristics. Behavior Therapy, 39, 22–32.Google Scholar
Kazdin, A.E. (1980). Acceptability of alternative treatments for deviant child behavior. Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, 13, 259–273.Google Scholar
Lazaratou, H., Anagnostopoulos, D., Alevizos, E., Haviara, F., & Ploumpidis, D. (2007). Parental attitudes and opinions on the use of psychotropic medications in mental disorders of childhood. Annals of General Psychiatry, 6, 32–38.Google Scholar
Mertens, D. (2005). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
McLeod, J., Pescosolido, B., Takeuchi, D., & White, F. (2004). Public attitudes toward the use of psychiatric medications for children. Journal of Health and Human Behavior 45, 53–67.Google Scholar
Monastra, V. (2005). Overcoming barriers to effective treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A neuro-educational approach. International Journal Psychophysiology, 58, 71–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norberg, M.M., Krystal, J.H., & Tolin, D.F. (2008). A meta-analysis of d-cycloserine and the facilitation of fear extinction and exposure therapy. Biological Psychiatry, 63, 1118–1126.Google Scholar
Rapee, R.M., Schniering, C.A., & Hudson, J.L. (2009). Anxiety disorders during childhood and adolescence: Origins and treatment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 5, 311–341.Google Scholar
Rappaport, N., & Chubinsky, P. (2000). The meaning of psychotropic medications for children, adolescents and their families. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 1198–1200.Google Scholar
Roberts, C., Farrell, L.J., Waters, A.M., Oar, E. & Ollendick, T.H. (2016) Parents’ perceptions of novel treatments for child and adolescent specific phobia and anxiety disorders. Child Psychiatry and Human Devevelopment, 47, 459–471.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spielberger, C. (1983). Manual for the State Trait Anxiety Inventory — STAI (Form Y). Palo Alto, CA: Mind Garden.Google Scholar
Storch, E.A., McKay, D., Reid, J.M., Geller, D.A., Goodman, W.K., Lewin, A.B., & Murphy, T.K. (2010). D-cycloserine augmentation of cognitive-behavioral therapy: Directions for pilot research in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. Child Youth Care Forum, 39, 101–112.Google Scholar
Whalen, C.K., & Henker, B. (1991). Therapies for hyperactive children: Comparisons, combinations, and compromises. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 126–137.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Byrne supplementary material

Byrne supplementary material 1

Download Byrne supplementary material(File)
File 17.3 KB