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Therapist-Supported Internet-Delivered Exposure and Response Prevention for Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Andrén, Per; Holmsved, Moa; Ringberg, Helene; Wachtmeister, Vera; Isomura, Kayoko; Aspvall, Kristina; Lenhard, Fabian; Hall, Charlotte L.; Davies, Bethan; Murphy, Tara; Hollis, Chris; Sampaio, Filipa; Feldman, Inna; Bottai, Matteo; Serlachius, Eva; Andersson, Erik; Fernández De La Cruz, Lorena; Mataix-Cols, David

Therapist-Supported Internet-Delivered Exposure and Response Prevention for Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial Thumbnail


Authors

Per Andrén

Moa Holmsved

Helene Ringberg

Vera Wachtmeister

Kayoko Isomura

Kristina Aspvall

Fabian Lenhard

Tara Murphy

CHRIS HOLLIS chris.hollis@nottingham.ac.uk
Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Digital Mental Health

Filipa Sampaio

Inna Feldman

Matteo Bottai

Eva Serlachius

Erik Andersson

Lorena Fernández De La Cruz

David Mataix-Cols



Abstract

Importance: The availability of behavior therapy for individuals with Tourette syndrome (TS) and chronic tic disorder (CTD) is limited. Objective: To determine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of internet-delivered exposure and response prevention (ERP) for children and adolescents with TS or CTD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This single-masked, parallel group, superiority randomized clinical trial with nationwide recruitment was conducted at a research clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. Out of 615 individuals assessed for eligibility, 221 participants meeting diagnostic criteria for TS or CTD and aged 9 to 17 years were included in the study. Enrollment began in April 2019 and ended in April 2021. Data were analyzed between October 2021 and March 2022. Interventions: Participants were randomized to 10 weeks of therapist-supported internet-delivered ERP for tics (111 participants) or to therapist-supported internet-delivered education for tics (comparator group, 110 participants). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was change in tic severity from baseline to the 3-month follow-up as measured by the Total Tic Severity Score of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS-TTSS). YGTSS-TTSS assessors were masked to treatment allocation. Treatment response was operationalized as a score of 1 ("Very much improved") or 2 ("Much improved") on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale. Results: Data loss was minimal, with 216 of 221 participants (97.7%) providing primary outcome data. Among randomized participants (152 [68.8%] boys; mean [SD] age, 12.1 [2.3] years), tic severity improved significantly, with a mean reduction of 6.08 points on the YGTSS-TTSS in the ERP group (mean [SD] at baseline, 22.25 [5.60]; at 3-month follow-up, 16.17 [6.82]) and 5.29 in the comparator (mean [SD] at baseline, 23.01 [5.92]; at 3-month follow-up, 17.72 [7.11]). Intention-to-treat analyses showed that the 2 groups improved similarly over time (interaction effect, -0.53; 95% CI, -1.28 to 0.22; P =.17). Significantly more participants were classified as treatment responders in the ERP group (51 of 108 [47.2%]) than in the comparator group (31 of 108 [28.7%]) at the 3-month follow-up (odds ratio, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.27 to 3.90). ERP resulted in more treatment responders at little additional cost compared with structured education. The incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained was below the Swedish willingness-to-pay threshold, at which ERP had a 66% to 76% probability of being cost-effective. Conclusions and Relevance: Both interventions were associated with clinically meaningful improvements in tic severity, but ERP led to higher response rates at little additional cost. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03916055.

Citation

Andrén, P., Holmsved, M., Ringberg, H., Wachtmeister, V., Isomura, K., Aspvall, K., …Mataix-Cols, D. (2022). Therapist-Supported Internet-Delivered Exposure and Response Prevention for Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, 5(8), Article e2225614. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.25614

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 22, 2022
Online Publication Date Aug 15, 2022
Publication Date Aug 15, 2022
Deposit Date Jun 22, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal JAMA Network Open
Electronic ISSN 2574-3805
Publisher American Medical Association (AMA)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 5
Issue 8
Article Number e2225614
DOI https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.25614
Keywords General Medicine
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/8632245
Publisher URL https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2795148

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