Prevention and Early Intervention for Anxiety disorders: A controlled trial

Mark R. Dadds*, Susan H. Spence, Denise E. Holland, Paula M. Barrett, Kristin R. Laurens

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

350 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Queensland Early Intervention and Prevention of Anxiety Project evaluated the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral and family-based group intervention for preventing the onset and development of anxiety problems in children. A total of 1,786 7- to 14-year-olds were screened for anxiety problems using teacher nominations and children's self-report. After recruitment and diagnostic interviews, 128 children were selected and assigned to a 10-week school-based child- and parent-focused psychosocial intervention or to a monitoring group. Both groups showed improvements immediately postintervention. At 6 months follow-up, the improvement maintained in the intervention group only, reducing the rate of existing anxiety disorder and preventing the onset of new anxiety disorders. Overall, the results showed that anxiety problems and disorders identified using child and teacher reports can be successfully targeted through an early intervention school-based program.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)627-635
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of consulting and clinical psychology
Volume65
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 1997
Externally publishedYes

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