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Launching Anxious Young Adults: A Specialized Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Transitional Aged Youth

  • Child and Adolescent Disorders (TD Benton, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Psychiatry Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

There has been growing clinical and research attention to the unique developmental stage of emerging adulthood. This stage is a time of significant change and growth for all individuals, as it includes identity exploration, emotional, behavioral, and financial independence from caregivers, and completion of educational or vocational requirements.

Recent Findings

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health diagnoses among emerging adults, and individuals suffering from these disorders often experience compounding functional impairments across health, financial, and social domains. While evidence-based treatments exist for both child/adolescent anxiety disorders and adult anxiety disorders, no specialized assessment or treatment methods have been established for the unique period of emerging adulthood.

Summary

Our review examines literature pertinent to anxiety disorders in emerging adulthood and describes a novel, specialized intervention to address the unique challenges faced by anxious emerging adults. The Launching Emerging Adults Program (LEAP) is a developmentally informed cognitive-behavioral treatment model that aims to simultaneously reduce anxiety symptoms and promote independence. We conclude with a discussion of lessons learned and future directions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Lauren J. Hoffman

  2. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    John D. Guerry

  3. Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Anne Marie Albano

Authors
  1. Lauren J. Hoffman
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  2. John D. Guerry
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  3. Anne Marie Albano
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lauren J. Hoffman.

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Conflict of Interest

Lauren J. Hoffman and John D. Guerry declare no conflict of interest.

Anne Marie Albano is the Principal Investigator for the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMELS) (NIMH) cited in this manuscript.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Child and Adolescent Disorders

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Hoffman, L.J., Guerry, J.D. & Albano, A.M. Launching Anxious Young Adults: A Specialized Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Transitional Aged Youth. Curr Psychiatry Rep 20, 25 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0888-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0888-9

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