Abstract
BackgroundThe efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety related problems in children is empirically supported. In addition, universal anxiety prevention programmes based on CBT have been demonstrated in recent years. The purpose of this study was to verify the effectiveness of a CBT based original programme ‘Journey of the Brave,’ aiming to prevent anxiety disorders and anxiety-related problems for Japanese children aged 10–12 years old.MethodsIntervention groups from two classes of 5th grade elementary students (n = 41) received ten 45-min programme sessions. The control group was drawn from one class of 5th grade children (n = 31) from a nearby school. All participants completed the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) at pre, post, and 3 months follow-up. Mixed-effects model for repeated measures analysis was conducted.ResultsThe mean anxiety score on the SCAS for the intervention group was significantly reduced at both post intervention and 3 months follow-up compared with the control group. The group differences on the SCAS from baseline to post-test were − 5.321 (95% CI − 10.12 to − 0.523, p = 0.030), and at the 3-month follow-up were − 7.104 (95% CI − 11.90 to − 2.306, p = 0.004).ConclusionsThe effectiveness of the anxiety prevention programme ‘Journey of the Brave’ was verified though this study using a quasi-experimental design on a small sample.Trial registration: UMIN000009021
Highlights
The efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety related problems in children is empiri‐ cally supported
Gender-based differences in participant characteristics were examined with Chi square tests between the 41 intervention group and 31 control group children at pre-test
To compare the group differences at baseline, t tests were conducted of the pre-test Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores
Summary
The efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety related problems in children is empiri‐ cally supported. Universal anxiety prevention programmes based on CBT have been demonstrated in recent years. The purpose of this study was to verify the effectiveness of a CBT based original programme ‘Journey of the Brave,’ aiming to prevent anxiety disorders and anxiety-related problems for Japanese children aged 10–12 years old. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem in children and adolescents [1] with lifetime prevalence rates averaging between 8 and 27% [2]. Children and adolescents with anxiety symptoms and disorders suffer from considerable adverse effects on their psychosocial functioning [4]. Because of the high prevalence rates and considerable adverse effects of anxiety symptoms and disorders, the Comorbidity between anxiety and other psychological disorders is common, and there is evidence suggesting that anxiety disorders may precede the onset of other psychological disorders including depression [7,8,9].
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