Abstract
Anxiety and depression are common mental health problems experienced by children in Australia. The impact of these internalizing disorders is pervasive, affecting many areas of life. By the time problems have been detected in children they can be severe in nature and harder to treat. Hence, early intervention is of utmost importance. Despite the existence of numerous prevention programs for children, there is limited empirical evidence for a program that has an impact on symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Physical activity and improved motor coordination have been indicated as having positive effects on children's mental health, although the impact of including these in a program targeting internalizing disorders has not been established. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Feelings and Friends (Year 3) program (FFY3), revised to include activities to build motor-coordination and encourage physical activity. Participants were 24 children from the Perth metropolitan area alongside one of each of their parents. Results indicated significant short-term intervention effects on one of the primary outcome variables; intervention group parents reported significant pre-post improvement in child depressive symptoms, which were maintained at 3-month follow-up (ηp2 = 0.10). There were also intervention effects observed for parent-reported separation anxiety (ηp2 = 0.10), externalizing symptoms (ηp2 = 0.19), and conduct problems (ηp2 = 0.16). An additional finding indicated the intervention students reported significant improvement from session one to session two in global distress (ηp2 = 0.22). No other significant intervention effects were evident. Findings from this study indicate that FFY3 is a promising intervention to address internalizing and externalizing symptoms in 8–9 year-old children.
Highlights
Internalizing disorders refer to emotional distress and the emotional symptoms associated with anxiety and depression (Bayer et al, 2011)
By the time internalizing problems have been detected in children, problems can be severe in nature and harder to treat, potentially leading to long-term impacts extending beyond the symptoms of a disorder (Bayer et al, 2011)
Least significant difference (LSD) post-hoc contrasts indicated a significant decrease in depressive symptoms from pre-test to post-test [t(60) = 3.32, p = 0.002, d = 0.86] and from pre-test to follow-up [t(60) = 2.86, p = 0.006, d = 0.74] for the intervention group
Summary
Internalizing disorders refer to emotional distress and the emotional symptoms associated with anxiety and depression (Bayer et al, 2011). When children learn in a group environment they are encouraged to articulate their thoughts, express and manage their emotions, and display respect and empathy to the feelings of others (Johnson and Johnson, 2009; Denham and Brown, 2010). The development of these skills is likely to complement the prevention of the internalizing problems
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
