Objective: To describe the rates and predictors of youth and parent satisfaction following engagement in one of three evidence-based treatments or a placebo control for youth anxiety. Method: In a multisite randomized controlled trial (RCT) of youth ages 7-17 (n = 426) and parents (n = 429) comparing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), sertraline (SRT), the combination of the two (COMB), and placebo (PBO), we examined satisfaction at the end of acute treatment and assessed predictors including clinical change, pretreatment expectations, reactions to treatment assignment, and therapeutic relationship using multiple hierarchical linear regressions. Results: Satisfaction was high across all treatments. Both parents and youth reported the highest satisfaction with COMB, followed by CBT and SRT, and the least satisfaction with PBO. Parents were more satisfied than youth, and remitters were more satisfied than nonremitters. In CBT-containing arms, a stronger child-therapist relationship at week 6 predicted greater parent and youth satisfaction. Higher expectations of improvement at pretreatment predicted greater youth, but not parent, satisfaction in CBT and SRT. Discussion: Posttreatment, youth and parents report greater satisfaction with combination therapy over the monotherapies and PBO. Satisfaction patterns largely mirror clinical outcomes. An early strong youth-reported therapeutic alliance is key to satisfaction in CBT, highlighting the importance of child-therapist alignment when selecting anxiety treatments.
Keywords: cognitive behavioral therapy; pharmacotherapy; satisfaction; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI); youth anxiety.