A MLD newborn screening pilot-study for metachromatic leukodystrophy in Germany: Results of the first 12 months

To treat anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is often used as an effective psychosocial treatment. However, disseminating CBT to underrepresented cultures, such as those in Asia, remains inadequate. This chapter discusses culturally adapted CBT for children with anxiety disorders in Japan. The Japanese Anxiety Children/Adolescents Cognitive Behavior Therapy program (JACA-CBT) was developed for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders based on bidirectional cultural adaptation from top-down and bottom-up approaches. The JACA-CBT achieved 50% and 66.67% remissions among participants from their principal diagnoses at a post- and 6-month follow-up, respectively, which were comparable with the results of previous trials in Western countries. A cross-cultural comparison between the JACA-CBT and a representative Western-model program revealed cultural differences in how soon therapists should ask questions about children’s anxiety, how much therapists should lead conversations, and the amount of parental involvement in the programs. The clinical implications of culturally sensitive case management for clients from Asian cultural backgrounds are discussed from the perspective of expressive cultural adaptation.