Facilitators and Barriers to the Implementation of a School-Based Intervention for Anxiety

• Published in: Child psychiatry and human development 2023-11
• Main Authors: Brown, Gemma K., Owens, Jane, Richards, Cathy, Di Folco, Simona, Schwannauer, Matthias
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0009-398X; 1573-3327
• DOI: 10.1007/s10578-023-01615-9

School-based cognitive behavioural interventions for anxiety are found to be effective, but there is a lack of research on their implementation in real world settings. The current study aims to explore the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of a school-based intervention for anxiety through a qualitative process evaluation. Evaluation of the implementation of Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management (LIAM), a six-session school-based cognitive behavioural intervention, was conducted. LIAM was implemented by non-mental health professionals trained and coached on the model. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders (N = 15) were analysed with grounded theory and framework analysis. Forty-one practitioners were trained and coached on LIAM, with thirty-five children and young people receiving the intervention. Facilitators (e.g. systemic collaboration, self-efficacy and an enabling context) and barriers (e.g. the exclusivity of the intervention and a lack of systemic understanding) to implementation emerged as themes. Implementing school-based interventions is complex and requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders.