Oana A. GAVIȚA* & Andreea CĂLIN
Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Abstract
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered the golden standard of psychotherapy for various child psychological problems. However, less is currently known about the best format to deliver CBT to children. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of two formats of delivering a specific form of CBT (namely rational emotive behavioral therapy; REBT/CBT) in reducing externalizing and internalizing problems of elementary school children. Our sample consisted of 32 children presenting externalizing and internalizing problems, who were assigned either to the RETMAN rational stories group (15 children) or to a short Rational Parenting Program (sRPP) group (17 children). Results support the efficacy of both types of REBT interventions in reducing externalizing and internalizing problems of children. Better results were observed in the RETMAN group compared to the sRPP for teacher-reported externalizing syndromes, child-reported anger experienced in school, and irrational demands for fairness. In turn, the sRPP had better outcomes for the laxness and verbosity dimensions of parenting. Implications of the current research are discussed for choosing the most adequate treatment for child psychopathology.
Keywords: rational stories, parenting program, REBT/CBT
