(PS3-6) Camp Cope: Examining the Preliminary Effectiveness, Acceptability, and Feasibility of a One-week Intensive Group Program for Anxious Youth

Abstract Text: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based intervention for adolescent anxiety; yet, conventional weekly therapy encounters obstacles including financial burdens, schedule conflicts, and accessibility challenges (Kaczkurkin & Foa, 2015). Brief, intensive treatments such as therapeutic summer camps, have surfaced as a viable option by offering structured, concentrated exposure to CBT procedures within a brief timeframe (Ost & Ollendick, 2017; Haggerty et al., 2022; Santucci & Ehrenreich, 2013). Camp Cope was established to overcome these obstacles as a one-week intense summer program grounded in the Coping Cat manual, designed to teach children effective strategies for anxiety management through structured exposure and skill-enhancement activities within a supportive group environment (Kendall & Hedtke, 2006).

Participants will consist of 10-15 children aged 8-12 who have clinically significant levels of anxiety, as determined by the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). The study will assess feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability using multiple measures. Feasibility will be determined by participant engagement and program completion rates. Efficacy will be measured by changes in anxiety symptoms from pre- to post-treatment using parent and child self-report measures such as the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS-C/P) and SCARED-C/P. Acceptability will be assessed by post-program satisfaction ratings from both participants and parents, with an emphasis on perceived benefits and relevance to their needs.

A series of within-subject studies will be performed to see if individuals exhibit significant reductions in anxiety symptoms following the completion of Camp Cope. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test will compare pre- and post-intervention scores, while descriptive statistics of satisfaction ratings will be assessed to evaluate participant and caregiver perspectives on program success and participation.

It is hypothesized that children participating in Camp Cope will exhibit a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms by the end of treatment. Furthermore, the study is expected to show great feasibility and acceptability. The findings will add to and enhance existing research on intensive therapies for children with anxiety, as well as provide preliminary evidence for Camp Cope, a more accessible, cost-efficient, and time-effective treatment.