Abstract
The Aussie Optimism Program: Feelings and Friends (AOP-FF) is a 10 week, universal mental health promotion program based on social/emotional and cognitive and behavioral strategies. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of a universal Cognitive Behavioral Therapy based program in preventing and reducing internalizing problems in 6–8 year olds (Years 1–3 in Australia). Year 1–3 students from a low SES primary school (N = 206) were randomly assigned in classes to either an intervention or a control group and assessed at baseline and post-test. Results showed a significant (p = 0.009) and small to moderate (partial eta-squared = 0.034) pre-post decrease in parent-reported anxiety symptoms for the intervention group, in conjunction with a non-significant (p = 0.708) and negligible (partial eta-squared = 0.001) pre-post increase for the control group. A larger randomized controlled trial assessing longer term effects is needed. In addition the program needs to be simplified for year 1–2 students with a separate more developmentally appropriate program for year 3 students.
Highlights
IntroductionPrevention of Internalizing Disorders in Early Childhood
Prevention of Internalizing Disorders in Early ChildhoodThe two internalizing disorders, anxiety and depression, are recognized as the most common and increasingly prevalent childhood disorders (Tonmyr et al, 2011; Essau et al, 2012a)
Hypothesis 1a: Universal Prevention Effects With regards to internalizing symptoms, students in the prevention group did not show a greater decrease in depressive or anxiety symptoms compared with students in the control group
Summary
Prevention of Internalizing Disorders in Early Childhood. The two internalizing disorders, anxiety and depression, are recognized as the most common and increasingly prevalent childhood disorders (Tonmyr et al, 2011; Essau et al, 2012a). Anxiety and depression have been posited to be temporally linked (Hansell et al, 2012), and some researchers have argued that the high comorbidity and symptoms overlap indicate that the two internalizing disorders are part of a single entity or personality construct (Watson et al, 2005). While clinical trials of anxiety and depression intervention programs indicate that internalizing disorders in late childhood and early adolescence may be effectively treated (Monshouwer et al, 2012), a significant proportion of children continue to experience difficulties post-intervention (Pössel et al, 2011). The transition to primary school has been identified as a vulnerable stage for many children (Tomb and Hunter, 2004; Goodwin et al, 2012) due to several factors such as spending a significant period away from their families for the first time; entering a new social environment where the need for social approval and to fit in with peers becomes significant; and being evaluated in terms
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