The aims of the present study were to evaluate the efficacy of a brief intervention, and to determine for whom the treatment works. 73 children between 3 and 8 years of age with significant nighttime fears were enrolled in an intervention group (n = 36) or in a waitlist group (n = 37). The intervention involved a 5-week parent delivered therapy. Assessments took place at baseline, post-treatment, and 20 weeks following baseline. In the intervention group, compared with the waitlist group, nighttime-related fears and phobic symptoms decreased more, whereas adaptive nighttime behavior increased to a greater extent. The more time children spent with exposure and relaxation games during the intervention, the more their separation anxiety and maladaptive nighttime behavior were reduced. Girls’ fear of darkness was reduced to a greater extent. The present study provides support for the use of parent-delivered therapy in the treatment of childhood nighttime fears.

本研究的目的是评估简短干预的功效，并确定治疗对谁有效。将 73 名 3 至 8 岁、有明显夜间恐惧症的儿童纳入干预组 (n = 36) 或候补名单组 (n = 37)。干预涉及为期 5 周的父母提供的治疗。评估发生在基线、治疗后和基线后 20 周。在干预组中，与候补名单组相比，夜间相关的恐惧和恐惧症状减少更多，而适应性夜间行为增加幅度更大。儿童在干预期间花在暴露和放松游戏上的时间越多，他们的分离焦虑和适应不良的夜间行为就越减少。女生对黑暗的恐惧感在更大程度上减少了。