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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04960813

Kidpower Camp - Structured Games or Playgroup

Clinically significant anxiety affects 20% of preschoolers and can become chronic, leading to depression, substance abuse, school-drop out and even suicide. To reduce anxiety and prevent its sequelae, clinically affected children must be effectively treated early. Available interventions for clinically anxious preschoolers are effective for some, but not all children, with as many as 50% of 4-7 year olds continuing to meet criteria for an anxiety disorder after treatment.

This trial aims to help learn how Camp Kidpower, trainings using either structured games or a playgroup, may lower anxiety in preschool age children. Playing these games and learning that kids can do it, can teach kids how to keep going when they are feeling anxious. To find out if Kidpower works by helping kids stay in charge of their behaviors and emotions, the study will look at parts of the brain as well as behaviors related to effortful control and fear, before and after training.

The study hypothesizes that Kidpower will produce greater increases in Error-related negativity (ERN), Interchannel Phase Synchrony (ICPS) and effortful control (EC) behaviors than in the Playgroup control.

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Key information

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders

Age range

48 month–71 month

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Children between ages 4 -5.99 years at time of consent
  • Children that have a primary clinical diagnosis of separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Written informed consent by a parent/legal guardian and verbal assent from participant
  • Fluent in English

Exclusion criteria

  • History of head injury
  • History of serious medical or neurological illness
  • History of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • History of major depressive disorder (MDD)
  • Current psychotherapy or behavioral interventions
  • History of Neurodevelopmental delay, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or intellectual disability
  • Currently taking medications that affect central nervous system functioning
  • Primary clinical diagnosis is selective mutism or specific phobia
  • Recent history of physically aggressive behaviors that have caused harm to other children
  • Sibling of a child who has participated or is currently participating in this protocol

Treatment and study plan

Structured games

Behavioral

Camp Kidpower - Structured Games is an interactive, child-friendly "camp" and is comprised of short, game-like exercises taught by "camp counselors" to groups of approximately 4-6 children. In total, 15 different exercises will be taught. Children will attend 5 three-hour playgroup sessions over a 4-week period (twice the first week, and then only once per week for the subsequent 3-week period) to match the Playgroup intervention.

Parents will be asked to attend an approximately one-hour group meeting, during which information is presented regarding child anxiety, effortful control and the rationale for this treatment. Parents are asked to continue to utilize the intervention at home every day if possible with the child and will receive texts or emails to track the games that are played at home.

Playgroup

Behavioral

Camp Kidpower - Playgroup includes structured play activities. This will include art activities, dramatic play props, and a "story time". Children will attend 5 three-hour playgroup sessions over a 4-week period (twice the first week, and then only once per week for the subsequent 3-week period) to match the Kidpower intervention.

During the first week parents will attend an approximately one-hour group meeting, during which information is presented regarding the positive benefits of child-led play and "special time" with caregivers.

Parents well be asked to complete homework with their children during the week between sessions, and are shown how to track time spent in this activity. Parents will receive a daily text (or email) to to measure frequency of homework practice between sessions.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Error Related Negativity (ERN)

    Time frame: Pre-treatment (baseline) and post-treatment assessments (approximately 4-6 weeks)

    The error-related negativity is a neurophysiological signal, measured via electroencephalogram (EEG), considered to reflect a dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) response to errors. For this study the ERN will be measured at electrode site FCz as the downward (negative voltage) deflection of the EEG signal that occurs 50-100 msec after error commission on the Zoo Task. Scores are measured continuously (no established minimum or maximum) . Higher scores reflect greater neural capacity for effortful control.

  2. Change in National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Effortful Control (EC) Composite Scale

    Time frame: Pre-treatment (baseline) and post-treatment assessments (approximately 4-6 weeks)

    The NIH Toolbox EC Composite Scale will be comprised of children's standardized scores reflecting accuracy and reaction time on two computerized tasks: the Flanker inhibitory control and attention task and the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) test of set-shifting function. An NIH Toolbox EC Composite score will be based on factor loadings for each task derived from a factor analysis of scores across both Toolbox tasks. Scores are measured continuously (no established minimum or maximum) . Higher scores reflect greater behavioral capacity for effortful control.

  3. Change in Clinical Global Impressions -Severity and Improvement Scales

    Time frame: Pre-treatment (baseline) and post-treatment assessments (approximately 4-6 weeks)

    The Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) is an observer rated scale used to assess anxiety severity (CGI-S) and pre- to post-treatment improvement in anxiety (CGI-I). Ratings for both use a 7-point scale, from 1 "normal" to 7 "among the most severely ill" for CGI-S and 1 ("very much improved") to 7 ("very much worse") for CGI-I.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule - Parent Version (ADIS-P)

    Time frame: Pre-treatment (baseline) and post-treatment assessments (approximately 4-6 weeks)

    ADIS-P is a semi-structured clinical interview administered to parents about their child to assess Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) diagnoses where anxiety is a component. Severity of symptoms is rated by interviewers on a scale from none (=0) to very severe (=8), with clinician severity rating (CSR) ≥ 4 indicating presence of diagnosis. Changes in CSR of the primary (i.e., most severe at baseline) anxiety diagnosis from pre to post intervention will be assessed.

  2. Change in Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale (Spence PAS)

    Time frame: Pre-treatment (baseline) up to post-treatment assessments (approximately 4-6 weeks)

    The Spence PAS is a validated instrument for the measurement of parent report of anxiety symptoms in young children. Spence PAS scores will provide a continuous rating of anxiety symptoms from 0 to 112; high scores reflect greater anxiety.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Columbia University

Other

Collaborators

  • Michigan State University
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  • University of Maryland
  • University of Michigan

Registry information

Official study title

Neurally Targeted Interventions to Reduce Early Childhood Anxiety

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Jul 14, 2021
Registry last updated
Apr 30, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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