The intervention was designed to address youth anxiety in a school setting. The strategy was to modify an existing protocol to address issues such as length of time, compatibility with school calendars, a lengthy manual, and burden of training. The new protocol is streamlined with fewer sessions that did not last as long, lessons redesigned to be more game-based, a shorter manual, and feasible training. Findings showed that the redesign may have achieved intended goals of an appropriate intervention to address youth anxiety.
Purpose of Intervention:
To provide school and community-based service providers with a streamlined and gamified package of cognitive, behavioral, and social skills training strategies known to prevent and reduce anxiety symptoms and disorder escalation in children ages 8 to 13
Intervention Primary Outcome:
Child anxiety symptoms and anxiety levels
Intervention Secondary Outcome:
Self-efficacy for managing anxiety-provoking situations, social competence, and negative cognitive errors
Findings:
Youth in the intervention group reported greater self-efficacy for managing anxiety-provoking situations, strengthened social competence, and fewer negative cognitive errors relative to youth in the control group. Relative to youth in the control group, higher-risk children (per baseline levels of the primary outcomes) in the intervention group reported fewer anxiety symptoms and lower anxiety levels at the 12-month follow-up.
Statistical Method Used:
We used inferential statistics and effect sizes from multi-source (e.g., youth, parent, provider) and methods (e.g., self-report, observer ratings) centering on repeated measure, randomized control design, and efficacy and effectiveness studies conducted within school- and community settings.
Essential Aspects for Success:
• Gamification keeps youth engaged and makes learning feel less like a chore.
• Between-session practice of the skills in familiar environments helps generalize them to real situations and everyday life.
• Well-trained leaders are necessary for accurate and effective delivery of the intervention.
Principal Citations:
Pina, A. A., Gonzales, N. A., Mazza, G. L., Gunn, H. J., Holly, L. E., Stoll, R. D., Parker, J., Chiapa, A., Wynne, H., & Tein, J.-Y. (2020). Streamlined prevention and early intervention for pediatric anxiety disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Prevention Science, 21(4), 487–497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-019-01066-6
Pina, A. A., Stoll, R. D., Holly, L. E., Wynne, H., Chiapa, A., Parker, J., Caterino, L., Tracy, S. J., Gonzales, N. A., & Valdivieso, A. (2023). Streamlined pediatric anxiety program for school mental health services. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 93, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102655
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