The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about how psychotherapy works for children and adolescents aged 8 - 15 with anxiety, depression, trauma, or disruptive behaviour. The main question it aims to answer is:
- Is the biobehavioural regulation of negative emotion a transdiagnostic mechanism of treatment response in psychotherapy for children with anxiety, depression, trauma and/or disruptive behaviour?
Children and their parents will be randomly assigned to an evidence-based, transdiagnostic treatment (the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Conduct Problems; MATCH-ADTC) or a waitlist control condition. Participants in both groups will complete a baseline assessment, weekly measures consisting of brief symptom scales and medication tracking, and quarterly assessments every 3 months. Following the intervention/waitlist period, our team will conduct post-test assessments. All assessments, except for the weekly surveys, will consist of symptom scales, clinical interviews, experimental tasks and physiological measures.
Inclusion Criteria
- Child must be between the ages of 8 and 15 years old and have English proficiency
- Parents must be over the age of 18 and have English proficiency
- Must be seeking psychosocial treatment for concerns related to anxiety, depression, or disruptive behaviours
Exclusion Criteria
- Child has low cognitive functioning that would prevent active participation in research tasks
- Child reports active suicidality that requiring acute care or hospital intervention
- Child meets criteria for psychosis, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, eating disorders or autism spectrum disorders
- Child does not assent to participate in the study