Supporting children on therapy waitlists: A randomized controlled trial of a web-based parent-focused single session intervention for child anxiety

29/06/2026

AI Summary

A self-guided web single-session intervention for parents (Project EMPOWER) produced significant reductions in parental accommodation and child anxiety, and increased parent agency at two weeks.
Effects were maintained until CBT intake (mean 13.54 weeks), indicating durable interim benefits while families await formal therapy.
Pilot parallel-group RCT (N=47) found the SSI highly acceptable to parents, offering a scalable approach to support children on long therapy waitlists.

AI Summary

This pilot parallel group RCT evaluated the effectiveness and acceptability of a self-guided, web-based SSI delivered to parents of children ages 4-13 (Mage = 8.84) with anxiety or OCD on a waitlist at a hospital-based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) clinic.

Parents completed a baseline diagnostic interview about their child and self-report questionnaires about their accommodation of child anxiety, child anxiety symptoms, and perceived ability to manage their child's anxiety (parent agency) at baseline, 2-week follow-up, and CBT intake.

Relative to controls, parents who received the SSI reported significant reductions in their accommodation (d = 0.59, p =.046) and child anxiety (d = 1.25, p <.001) and significant increases in parent agency (d = 0.68, p =.02) from baseline to 2-week follow-up.

Basic summary

Behav Res Ther. 2026 Jun 26;203:105107. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2026.105107. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Many children experience significant, impairing anxiety, yet most never access evidence-based support; among those who do, most face long wait-times to be seen. This disconnect reflects a need for intervention approaches that provide rapid access to interim care. Single-session interventions (SSIs) may help mitigate the adverse impacts of long waitlists. This pilot parallel group RCT evaluated the effectiveness and acceptability of a self-guided, web-based SSI delivered to parents of children ages 4-13 (M_age = 8.84) with anxiety or OCD on a waitlist at a hospital-based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) clinic. The SSI, Project EMPOWER, targets parental accommodation, a family factor that can worsen child anxiety and impede efficacy of CBT. Parents were randomized to receive the SSI (N = 24) or waitlist as usual (N = 23). Parents completed a baseline diagnostic interview about their child and self-report questionnaires about their accommodation of child anxiety, child anxiety symptoms, and perceived ability to manage their child’s anxiety (parent agency) at baseline, 2-week follow-up, and CBT intake. Relative to controls, parents who received the SSI reported significant reductions in their accommodation (d = 0.59, p = .046) and child anxiety (d = 1.25, p < .001) and significant increases in parent agency (d = 0.68, p = .02) from baseline to 2-week follow-up. Effects were maintained until children started CBT (mean time = 13.54 weeks). Additionally, parents rated the SSI as highly acceptable in accordance with preregistered benchmarks. Results support the effectiveness and acceptability of a web-based, self-guided SSI for parents of children on therapy waitlists, offering a scalable approach to support families while they wait for formal treatment. CLINICAL.TRIALS GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT06043271.

PMID:42372373 | DOI:10.1016/j.brat.2026.105107

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