Preventing Internalising Problems in Six to Eight Year old Children: Preliminary results from a universal school-based Program

Autor: Eugenie Pophillat; Rosanna Mary Rooney; Monique Nesa; Melissa Christine Davis; Natalie Baughman; Sharinaz Hassan; Robert Thomas Kane
Sprache: Englisch
Veröffentlicht: 2016
Quelle: Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles
Online Zugang: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01928/full
https://doaj.org/toc/1664-1078
1664-1078
doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01928
https://doaj.org/article/b269c0488ba840d29511fdd573fe1e4c
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01928
https://doaj.org/article/b269c0488ba840d29511fdd573fe1e4c
Erfassungsnummer: ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b269c0488ba840d29511fdd573fe1e4c

Zusammenfassung

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 behavioural strategies. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of a universal Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based program in preventing and reducing internalising problems in six to eight 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 = .009) and small to moderate (partial eta-squared = .034) pre-post decrease in parent-reported anxiety symptoms for the intervention group, in conjunction with a non-significant (p = .708) and negligible (partial eta-squared = .001) pre-post increase for the control group. A larger randomised 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.