Theater and arts program to build resilience and reduce anxiety in children and teens

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

Children and adolescents aged 8–17 with elevated anxiety or depressive symptoms are assigned to one of three group activities: improvisational theater plus CBT techniques, improvisational theater alone, or a social craft group. Groups are led by non-therapists such as undergraduates, teachers, or arts students rather than licensed clinicians, and the activities are presented as an arts-based course rather than formal therapy. Participants are screened with standard measures (e.g., SCARED, RCADS, K-SADS) and symptom changes are compared across the three group types. The main question is whether adding CBT skills to improvisation yields greater reductions in anxiety and depression than improvisation alone or a craft control.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Between 8 and 17 years of age
* Individuals must have parental/guardian consent
* Elevated levels of anxiety or depression based on

  1. Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) score of 15 or higher, or;
  2. Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) Depression T score of 65 or higher, or;
  3. Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) clinician severity rating of 3 on any anxiety disorder or on a mood-related disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed with Conduct Disorder or with behavioral symptoms that would make it difficult for the child/adolescent to participate in the group or comply with directions given by the group leader (such as difficulty following instructions, difficulty staying in one's seat, defiance of adults, harming animals or people, threatening others, getting into physical fights, hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulty waiting for one's turn, etc.)
* Autism or developmental delays
* Psychotic symptoms or active suicidality
* Active Eating Disorders that raise concerns about morbidity and therefore need to be addressed in an intervention and actively monitored
* Unsteady dosage or recently or impending changes to psychotropic medication(s)
* Non-English-speaking individuals
* Wards of the State

Where it's running

• Case Western Reserve University
  Cleveland, Ohio, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Amy Przeworski, PhD — Case Western Reserve University
• Study coordinator: Amy Przeworski, PhD
• Email: axp335@case.edu
• Phone: 216-368-5021

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.