Positive affect (PA) is an important construct in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety and depressive disorders, and therefore an important treatment target to address for youth with such psychopathology and related impairment. Prior studies have yielded mixed results regarding the role that changes in PA might play with regard to youth interventions. However, evidence has shown the benefits of focusing on PA in treatment for adults, suggesting that additional investigations into the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on PA in clinical samples of youth may be warranted. The purpose of the current study is to investigate changes in self-reported PA and its relationship to emotional disorder symptoms and avoidance behaviors in a clinical sample of youth (N=222), aged 6-17 years old, who completed a course of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) using the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (UP-C/A). Results indicate that pre-treatment PA was a significant predictor for post-treatment PA but not post-treatment symptoms of depression, anxiety symptoms, or avoidance behaviors. Limitations of the study include limited variability of depression scores at baseline and overall underrepresentation of depressive symptoms within the sample. Future work will investigate whether PA affects certain youth (e.g., those with greater depression, etc.) and their course of psychopathology and treatment more than others. Incorporating novel techniques that specifically target PA (e.g., savoring, etc.) may also be important to highlight with youth that are lower in PA.
