A randomised controlled trial evaluating two universal prevention programs for children: Building resilience to...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Mental Health Interventions
• Developmental Psychiatry

Background:

• Childhood anxiety and depression cause significant distress and impairment, necessitating early prevention strategies.
• Worry is a transdiagnostic feature of anxiety and depression, making it a key target for prevention.
• Emotion regulation (ER)-based and behavioral activation (BA)-based programs were developed to build resilience against these conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term efficacy of ER and BA programs in preventing childhood anxiety and depression.
• To assess the transdiagnostic potential of these programs in addressing shared features like worry.
• To explore the mediating roles of emotion regulation, behavioral activation, and resilience.

Main Methods:

• 316 primary school students (8-13 years) were randomized into ER, BA, or control groups.
• Measures of resilience, worry, anxiety, and depression were collected at baseline, post-program, and 6- and 12-month follow-ups.
• Mediating variables including emotion regulation and behavioral activation were also assessed.

Main Results:

• No significant condition-by-time interactions were found overall.
• The BA program significantly decreased generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder clinical cut-offs at 12 months.
• The ER program significantly decreased obsessive-compulsive disorder clinical cut-offs at 12 months, and emotion regulation mediated worry reduction.

Conclusions:

• ER and BA transdiagnostic prevention programs show potential for specific anxiety disorders in school-based settings.
• The findings suggest these programs may be beneficial for targeted prevention efforts.
• Further research with larger samples and diverse outcome measures is recommended.