Experiences of online, parent-led CBT: A qualitative study to inform adaptions to Online Support and Intervention for child anxiety (OSI) (AnDY Research Clinic Project ID: A03)

A quarter of children with anxiety who try an online, therapist-supported CBT programme still struggle afterwards, and this project will find out why. The problem is that while Online Support and Intervention for child anxiety (OSI) works well for many families, it clearly does not work for everyone. The researchers do not yet know which families are most likely to have poor outcomes, or what could be changed to help them. This project will first analyse outcome data from a large randomised trial to identify the specific characteristics of families who benefit least. Then the team will interview those families and their clinicians to understand what went wrong and what might work better. If this succeeds, the findings will directly inform adaptations to OSI—making it more effective for the children and parents it currently fails. That could mean fewer children left with untreated anxiety, less strain on NHS child mental health services, and a digital treatment that works for a wider range of families rather than only those who already fit the current model.