Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Friends for Life Program on Children's Anxiety and Depression

Objective: Anxiety disorders and depression during childhood and adolescence are among highly prevalent serious mental health problems, which lead to reduced performance in children and can also negatively affect children's emotional and social long-term development. This study, which was conducted in Mashhad in 2015, aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the Friends for Life cognitive-behavioral program in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression in children. Method: In this controlled clinical trial, 248 male students aged 10 were screened for mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression using the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety (RCMA) and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Of the participants, 40 students met the inclusion criteria. The demographic questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (DASS) were filled out by parents. The children in the experimental group received the Friends for Life cognitive-behavioral training program for eight 1-hour weekly sessions. RCMA, CDI, SDQ, and DASS were filled out again by both groups at the end of the sessions and 3 months later. To evaluate comparability between the 2 groups, Mann-Whitney test was used for qualitative variables and paired t test and repeated measure for quantitative variables with normal distribution. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-16. All statistical references were made at □=0.05. Results: Children's depression and manifest anxiety scores were not significantly different in the 2 groups before the intervention; however, their changes immediately after intervention and at the 3- month follow-up were significant (p<0.001). Moreover, hyperactivity (p = 0.039), peer problems (p = 0.011), and parental depression (p = 0.015) scores significantly changed in both groups over time. Conclusion: Implementation of Friends for Life program is effective in prevention and treatment of the symptoms of anxiety and depression in children.