Evaluating the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic universal prevention program for both internalizing and...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Preventive Interventions

Background:

• Internalizing and externalizing problems affect children aged 9-11.
• The Universal Unified Prevention Program for Diverse Disorders (Up2-D2) aims to address these issues.
• Feasibility of Up2-D2 was examined in two distinct studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Up2-D2 program.
• To compare the impact of different teacher training and supervision models.
• To assess program efficacy for children with general and subclinical difficulties.

Main Methods:

• Two feasibility studies involving 58 and 73 children aged 9-11.
• Up2-D2 program consisted of 12 sessions based on cognitive-behavioral and positive psychological interventions.
• Study 1: On-site teacher training and ongoing supervision. Study 2: Self-learning DVD materials without supervision.

Main Results:

• General difficulties decreased in Study 1, but not in Study 2.
• In Study 1, internalizing, externalizing, and general difficulties decreased for children with subclinical issues.
• In Study 2, general and internalizing difficulties decreased for subclinical cases, but externalizing problems did not.

Conclusions:

• On-site teacher training and supervision are crucial for universal prevention programs targeting general difficulties.
• Universal interventions without this support may still reduce general and internalizing problems in children with subclinical difficulties.
• The findings highlight the importance of adequate teacher preparation and support for program effectiveness.