The prevention of anxiety in preschool-aged children: Development of a new program and preliminary findings

Abstract

The purpose of this study was the development and pilot testing of a program designed to prevent anxiety in shy-inhibited preschool-aged children. In particular, twenty parents of shy-inhibited children completed an 8 session parent training program, and a preliminary assessment of the program was conducted through the use of a one-group pretest–posttest design. A high level of acceptability was found for the program, and based on parent-report data, significant reductions were found in child shyness and in parent stress and anxiety from pre to post-intervention. Overall, although more research is needed, the initial findings are promising, and the current study adds to a surprisingly small number of studies focused on the prevention of anxiety in younger children.