NCT04486742

Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Treat Itch Rumination "Itch CBT" in Eczema

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (actual)
• Sponsor: Northwestern University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 8 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The main purpose of this study is to adapt cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to improve itch in children with eczema.

Detailed description

Eczema is characterized by chronic itch. Many children develop a chronic focus (rumination) on their itch. Rumination is a maladaptive method of responding to distress, in which the individual thinks obsessively about the source of distress. The rumination on chronic itch in eczema can have detrimental effects on one's quality of life, as well as induce significant anxiety about when itch will return, how long it will last, and how it will affect physical and social functioning. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a frontline treatment for rumination, as it focuses on teaching strategies so that the individual can examine distressing thoughts objectively and determine their validity, replace negative thinking patterns with more adaptive thought patterns, and increase the individual's awareness to their problematic thought patterns. Additionally, CBT helps the individual to implement behavioral strategies to cope with possibly anxiety-inducing situations, such as scratching while trying to go to sleep. The investigators hypothesize that an Itch CBT intervention is an effective, non-medication-based, easy to implement strategy to improve itch in children with eczema.

Conditions

• Atopic Dermatitis

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Itch CBT	Telemedicine CBT sessions with a therapist to address atopic dermatitis related concerns.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-09-01
• Primary completion: 2021-12-21
• Completion: 2021-12-21
• First posted: 2020-07-27
• Last updated: 2023-11-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States