Prevention of anxiety symptoms in primary school children: Preliminary results from a universal school‐based trial

TLDR

Universal school‑based cognitive‑behavioural programmes aim to prevent anxiety symptoms in primary school children. In a sample of 489 children aged 10‑12, participants were randomized to a psychologist‑led or teacher‑led 12‑session Friends for Children programme or to usual care with monitoring. Both intervention groups reported significantly fewer anxiety symptoms post‑intervention compared with usual care, indicating that universal school‑based programmes are promising and can be integrated into classroom curricula.

Abstract

Preliminary data are presented on the effectiveness of a universal school‐based intervention for the prevention of anxiety symptoms in primary school children. A sample of 489 children (aged 10‐12 years) were assigned to one of three intervention conditions: a psychologist‐led preventive intervention, a teacher‐led preventive intervention, or a usual care (standard curriculum) with monitoring condition. The intervention offered was the Friends for Children programme, a 12‐session cognitive‐behavioural intervention, originally based upon Kendall's (1994) Coping Cat programme. Participants in both intervention conditions reported fewer symptoms of anxiety at post‐intervention than participants in the usual care condition. These preliminary results suggest that universal programmes for childhood anxiety are promising intervention strategies that can be successfully delivered to a school‐based population and integrated into the classroom curriculum.