Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-cfpbc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T04:21:19.464Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Longitudinal Study of Developmental Differences in Universal Preventive Intervention for Child Anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Sally Lock  and
Paula M. Barrett
Sally Lock
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Australia
Paula M. Barrett*
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Paula Barrett, School of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Health Science, Psychology Building Mt Gravatt, Griffith University, Brisbane QLD 4111, Australia. Email: P.Barrett@griffith.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

The present paper presents the results of a longitudinal study evaluating the effects of a universal school-based intervention for child anxiety at two developmental stages. The study involved a cohort of 733 children enrolled in grade 6 (n = 336, 45.6%) aged between 9 and 10 years, and grade 9 (n = 401, 54.4%) aged between 14 and 16 years. Participants were allocated to either a school-based cognitive-behavioural intervention or to a monitoring group, and completed standardised measures of anxiety, depression and coping style. Young people identified as “at risk” of an anxiety disorder were assessed for a clinical diagnosis with a structured diagnostic interview. Findings showed universal intervention as potentially successful in reducing symptoms of anxiety and increasing coping skills in children. Primary school children reported the greatest changes in anxiety symptoms, suggesting earlier preventive intervention was potentially more advantageous than later intervention. Developmental differences in anxiety, depression and coping strategies are discussed in addition to the implications and limitations of this study and directions for future research.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , 01 December 2003 , pp. 183 - 199
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amburster, P., Andrews, E., Couenhoven, J., & Blau, G. (1999). Collision or collaboration? School based health services meet managed care. Clinical Psychology Review, 19, (2), 221–237.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Barrett, P.M. (1998). Evaluation of cognitive-behavioural group treatments for childhood anxiety disorders. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, (4), 459–468.Google Scholar
Barrett, P.M., Dadds, M.R., & Rapee, R.M. (1991). The coping koala: Treatment manual. ,Unpublished manuscript The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.Google Scholar
Barrett, P., Dadds, M., & Rapee, R. (1996). Family treatment of childhood anxiety: A controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, (2), 333–342.Google Scholar
Barrett, P.M., Lock, S., & Turner, C. (in press). Developmental differences in universal preventive intervention for child anxiety. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Barrett, P.M., Lowry-Webster, H.M., & Turner, C.M. (1999). FRIENDS program social validity and treatment integrity scales. Brisbane, Australia: Australian Academic Press.Google Scholar
Barrett, P.M., Lowry-Webster, H., & Turner, C. (2000a). Friends for Children group leader manual (2nd ed.). Brisbane, Australia: Australian Academic Pres.Google Scholar
Barrett, P.M., Lowry-Webster, H., & Turner, C. (2000b). Friends for Children participant workbook (2nd ed.). Brisbane, Australia: Australian Academic Pres.Google Scholar
Barrett, P.M., & Turner, C.M. (2001). Prevention of anxiety in primary children: Preliminary results from a universal school based trial. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 40, 1–12.Google Scholar
Billings, A.G., & Moos, R.H. (1981). The role of coping responses and social resources in attenuating the impact of stressful life events. Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 4, 139–157.Google Scholar
Brodzinsky, D.M., Elias, M.J., Steiger, C., Simon, J., Gill, M., & Clarke Hitt, J. (1992). The Coping Scale for Children and Youth. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 13, 195–214 Google Scholar
Cole, D.A., Peeke, L.G., Martin, J.M., Truglio, R., & Seroczynski, A.D. (1998). A longitudinal look at the relation between depression and anxiety in children and adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, (3), 451–460.Google Scholar
Compas, B.E. (1987). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 393–403.Google Scholar
Compas, B.E., Malcarne, V., & Fondacoro, K.M. (1988). Coping with stressful life events in older children and young adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 405–411.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dadds, M.R., Spence, S.H., Holland, D.E., Barrett, P.M., & Laurens, K.R. (1997). Prevention and early intervention for anxiety disorders: A controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, (4), 627–635.Google Scholar
Dadds, M.R., Holland, D.E., Laurens, K.R., Mullins, M., Barrett, P.M., & Spence, S.H. (1999). Early intervention and prevention of anxiety disorders in children: Results at 2-year follow-up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, (1), 145–150. Google Scholar
Donovan, C.L., & Spence, S.H. (2000). Prevention of childhood anxiety disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 20, (4), 509–531.Google Scholar
Gerad, A.B., & Reynolds, C.R. (1998). Characteristic and applications of the revised children's manifest anxiety scale (RCMAS). In Maruish (Ed.), The use of psychological testing for treatment planning and outcome assessment (pp. 323–340). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associate.Google Scholar
Jaycox, L.H., Reivich, K.J., Gillham, J., & Seligman, M.E. (1994). Prevention of depressive symptoms in school children. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 32, (8), 801–816.Google Scholar
Kendall, P.C. (1994). Treating anxiety disorders in children: A controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, (1), 100–110.Google Scholar
Kovacs, M. (1982). The children's depression inventory (CDI) manual. Toronto, ON: Multi-Health Systems..Google Scholar
Kovacs, M. (1985). The children's depression inventory. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21(4), 995–998.Google Scholar
Kubiszyn, T. (1999). Integrating health and mental health services in schools: Psychologists collaborating with primary care providers. Clinical Psychology Review, 19, (2), 179–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lowry-Webster, H.M., Barrett, P.M., & Dadds, M.R. (2001). A universal prevention trial of anxiety and depressive symptomatology in childhood: Preliminary data from an Australian study. Behaviour Change, 18, (1), 36–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowry-Webster, H.M., Barrett, P.M., & Lock, S. (in press). A universal prevention trial of anxious symptomatology in childhood: Results at one-year follow-up. Behaviour Change.Google Scholar
Mattison, R.E., Handford, H.A., Kales, H.C., Goodman, A.L., & McLaughlin, R.E. (1990). Four-year predictive value of the children's depression inventory. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2, (2), 169–174.Google Scholar
Mrazek, P.J. & Haggerty, R.J. (Eds.). (1994). Reducing risks for mental disorders: Frontiers for preventive intervention research. Committee on Prevention of Mental Disorders: Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Reynolds, C.R. (1982). Convergent and divergent validity of the revised children's manifest anxiety scale. Educational and psychological measurement, 42, 1205–1212.Google Scholar
Reynolds, C.R., & Richmond, B.O. (1978). What I think and feel. A revised measure of children's manifest anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 15–20.Google Scholar
Reynolds, C.R., & Richmond, B.O. (1985). The Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale: Manual. New York: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Silverman, W.K., & Albano, A.M. (1996). Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM–IV, Child and Parent versions. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Silverman, W.K., & Eisen, A.R. (1992). Age differences in the reliability of parent and child reports of child anxious symptomatology using a structured interview. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 117–124.Google Scholar
Silverman, W.K. , Kurtines, W.M., Ginsburg, G.S., Weems, C.F., Lumpkin, P.W., & Carmicheal, D.H. (1999). Treating anxiety disorders in children with group cognitive-behavioural therapy: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, (6), 995–1003.Google Scholar
Silverman, W.K., Kurtines, W.M., Ginsburg, G.S., Weems, C.F., Rabian, B., & Serafini, L.T. (1999). Contingency management, self-control, and education support in the treatment of childhood phobic disorders. A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, (5), 675–687.Google Scholar
Silverman, W.K., & Rabian, B. (1995). Test-retest reliability of the DSM-III-R childhood anxiety disorders using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 9, (2), 139–150.Google Scholar
Smucker, M.R., Craighead, W.E., Craighead, L.W., & Green, B.J. (1986). Normative data and reliability for the childrens’ depression inventory. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14, (1), 25–39.Google Scholar
Spence, S.H. (2001). The prevention of child anxiety. In M.W., Vasey & M.R., Dadds (Eds.), The developmental psychopathology of anxiety (pp. 325–351). UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Spence, S.H. (1998). A measure of anxiety symptoms among children. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 545–566.Google Scholar
Spence, S.H. (1994). Prevention In T.H., Ollendick, N., King, & W., Yule (Eds.), International handbook of phobic and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (pp. 133–154). New York: Plenu.Google Scholar
Spence, S.H., Barrett, P.M., & Turner, C.M. (2003). Psychometric properties of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale with young adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 17, (6), 605–625.Google Scholar
Wisniewski, J.J., Mulick., Gensharft, J.L., & Coury, D.L. (1987). Test-retest reliability of the revised children's manifest anxiety scale. Perceptual and motor skills, 65, 67–60.Google Scholar
Witt, J.C., Heffer, R.W., & Pfeiffer, J. (1990). Structured rating scales: A review of self-report and informant rating procedures, and issues. In C.R., Reynolds & R.W., Kamphaus (Eds.), Handbook of psychological and educational assessment of children (pp. 364–394). New York: Guildford Publication.Google Scholar
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (1996). Using multivariate statistics (3rd ed). USA: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.Google Scholar