Acceptability and outcomes of the Cool Little Kids parenting group program for culturally and linguistically diverse families within an Australian population-based study

This feasibility study explored suitability of a preventive intervention for internalising problems in young children for culturally and linguistically diverse families in Australia. A subsample of 62 families whose main language at home was other than English was selected from a population-based randomised trial of the Cool Little Kids parenting program. The population trial recruited 545 inhibited preschool children. Measures included family demographics, feedback post-intervention and child internalising problems at longitudinal follow-up. Parents of children whose main language at home was not English gave feedback that Cool Little Kids was helpful for managing their inhibited child’s emotional distress. Significantly fewer intervention than control children whose main language at home was not English had separation anxiety symptoms after 2 years (M (SD) = 3.00 (3.15) versus 5.95 (3.98), p = 0.041). Further work to expand accessibility of Cool Little Kids to recent immigrant parents who do not speak English could be worthwhile.