Routine Outcome Monitoring and Specific Projects

Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) is the evaluation of effectiveness of child psychiatric treatment. Therapy outcomes have until now almost uniquely been evaluated in strict controlled research situations (efficacy studies), while the effect of treatment in the day-to-day practice, i.e. the “effectiveness”, has remained largely unstudied. Therefore, the aim of this research program is to focus on outcomes of patient groups that are being treated in child psychiatric services. Because of the heterogeneity of patients, such is only possible when relatively large patient groups are followed, which in turn is only possible through collaboration between departments. Contactperson: Monica Markus

For information about the ROMCKAP project (Routine Outcome Monitoring Consortium Kinder- en Adolescenten Psychiatrie) open the ROMCKAP website.

INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT

Assessing anxious and depressive cognitions
This series of studies uses the Dutch version of the Negative Affect Self-statement Questionnaire (Ronan, Kendall, & Rowe, 1994; Van Widenfelt, Goedhart, Brandsma, Ronan & Treffers, 2005) to better understand the types of thoughts children have and how they relate to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Contact Person: Brigit van Widenfelt

Assessment of Therapy Procedures in Routine Practice
The Therapy Procedures Checklist (Weersing, Weisz & Donnenberg, 2002; van Widenfelt & Treffers, 2002) was translated into Dutch and administered to a group of Dutch therapists to evaluate the questionnaire and gain insight into the techniques that therapists used to treat children and adolescents in treatment, primarily for anxiety or depression. Contact Person: Brigit van Widenfelt

EMBU for Children and Parents
In order to assess childrearing style from the perspective of the child and parent, we have adjusted the EMBU and investigated its dimensional framework and suitability. It was shown that the EMBU-C and EMBU-P scales have conceptually much in common with their adult counterparts, Emotional Warmth, Rejection, Overprotection and Favouring Subject. Currently, research on the validity of the EMBU-C and EMBU-P is being conducted. Contact Person: Monica Markus
 

THERAPY EVALUATION

Treatment of Childhood Anxiety Disorders
This study evaluates a stepped care approach to treating childhood Anxiety Disorders. Children and adolescence who met criteria for an Anxiety Disorder using the ADIS-C/P were first offered a ten session educational CBT program called FRIENDS in either individual or group format. For those children that did not respond sufficiently after this intervention, a second treatment intervention was offered called Parent Child Treatment for Anxiety (PCTA; Van Widenfelt, 2002).  The study is currently being written up as part of several PhD theses. Contact Persons: Brigit van Widenfelt, Adelinde van der Leeden, Juliette Liber

Treatment of School Refusal
This dissertation study consists of a treatment outcome study which will investigate the efficacy of a cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety-based school refusal, developmentally tailored to a ‘difficult to treat’ population: adolescents. Contact person: Floor Sauter, e-mail: fsauter@fsw.leidenuniv.nl, tel: 31-71 527 3692