Indicated Prevention of Childhood Anxiety and Depression: Results From a Practice-Based Study up to 12 Months After Intervention

We investigated whether intervention effects of FRIENDS for Life, a school-based prevention program for children with anxiety or depression symptoms, were maintained over a period of 12 months after the intervention in a naturalistic setting. We used a quasi-experimental design, with 339 children in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of public health (1971) 2015-10, Vol.105 (10), p.2005-2013
Main Authors: Kösters, Mia P, Chinapaw, Mai J M, Zwaanswijk, Marieke, van der Wal, Marcel F, Koot, Hans M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders - prevention & control
Behavior modification
Child
Children
Children & youth
Cognition & reasoning
Comorbidity
Depressive Disorder - prevention & control
Elementary schools
Experimental design
Female
Humans
Intervention
Likert scale
Male
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Mental Health
Netherlands
Nominations
Prevention
Prevention programs
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Public health
Public Health Practice
Quasi-experimental methods
Questionnaires
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
School Health
School Health Services - organization & administration
Schools
Teachers
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:We investigated whether intervention effects of FRIENDS for Life, a school-based prevention program for children with anxiety or depression symptoms, were maintained over a period of 12 months after the intervention in a naturalistic setting. We used a quasi-experimental design, with 339 children in the intervention group and 157 in the control group (aged 8-13 years) in schools in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We collected self-, teacher, and peer reports of anxiety and depression scores before and after intervention, and 6 and 12 months after intervention, from 2010 to 2012. Intervention-group children reported a continuing and significant decrease in anxiety and depression scores compared with the control group. Twelve months after the intervention, participants' anxiety and depression levels were comparable to those of the general population. Girls reported a stronger decrease in anxiety scores than did boys. Teacher reports suggested no effects. Although classmates reported increased internalizing problems in intervention-group children immediately after intervention, these effects disappeared over time. FRIENDS for Life, an indicated prevention program, yielded long-lasting and continuing reduction in anxiety and depression problems when implemented in daily school practice.
ISSN:0090-0036
1541-0048
DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302742