iii
Abstract
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is the most prevalent anxiety disorder among
children. It appears early in development and has multiple negative consequences. Cognitive-
behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for anxiety disorders.
However, few studies have examined the efficacy of CBT to treat SAD in particular, and even
fewer have examined the impact of this form of therapy on children younger than 7 years old.
The main objective of the present doctoral thesis was to evaluate the efficacy of a CBT parent-
training program, that was adapted specifically for parents of children aged 4 to 7 years old
suffering from SAD. This study had two specific objectives: to observe any fluctuations in the
child’s SAD symptoms during the treatment and to examine the impact of the program on
parental variables.
A single-case multiple baseline across-subjects design was used. Six families with a
child aged 4-7 years old and with a diagnosis of SAD participated. Semi-structured interviews,
self-reported questionnaires and daily diaries were used with the parents to assess the child’s
anxiety symptoms, parental practices, parenting stress, and the parents anxious and/or
depressive symptoms. Questionnaires on child problems were also sent to the children’ teacher
or educator. All questionnaires were administered at three times of measurement (pre-
treatment, post-treatment and 3 months follow-up). Daily diaries were also completed by the
parents at baseline, throughout the treatment, and during one to two weeks at follow-up.
Results revealed that five of the six children no longer met the criteria of a SAD
diagnosis after treatment and three months later. Findings from the daily diaries showed a
clear reduction of the principal SAD symptoms for half of the children but mixed results for