Innovative Strategies and Challenges for the Prevention of Pathological Anxiety in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

The effects of pathological anxiety on public health have led to the realization that anxious children might experience significant limitations in their lives. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral (CB) interventions are now being implemented in schools at a group level to combat anxiety.Childhood emotional health should be considered a national and global priority for an effective strategy promoting the prevention of mental health. The aim of this study is the description of novel data on the effectiveness of preventive interventions for anxious children, as well as the study of selective parameters that appear to affect treatment outcome.Furthermore, a brief review is cited regarding two empirically supported interventions, which include the Friends and Pyramid Club program and the Super Skills for Life program. Schools are considered suitable places for all types of prevention programs; they provide a familiar environment to a child, and by providing access to the prevention programs to many children, school programs could be the ideal way for anxious young individuals to practice and generalize their skills. Schools also offer an ideal space for collaboration between teachers and mental health professionals. Most programs have been effective in reducing anxiety, especially those based on the principles of CB, where the effects appear to be independent of the professional status of the leader (trained teacher or mental health professional). Friends and Pyramid Club interventions are well-established, multifaceted, and cost-effective programs, which include combinations of techniques (mostly behavioral activation, cognitive preparation, teaching social skills, and relaxation techniques). Super Skills for Life is a promising program, which also uses video feedback as a part of treatment. Prevention programs have been established as a vital part of the treatment options for specialists. Research related to childhood anxiety is increasing, while the perspectives for finding novel data seem promising for the upcoming years.In this context, several studies reveal the need for early, selective, intensive, persistent, multifaceted, and participatory interventions.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Behavioral Intervention on Trauma in Schools (CBITS), and Other Promising Practices in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Evidence Evaluation

“…Whether these programs are practicable in various community settings (e.g., the school environment) remains controversial. Moreover, whether their efficacy is ensured when administered by different program leaders, for example, trained teachers and volunteers who are not mental health professionals, remains uncertain [122]. In some cases, the assessment of the intervention studies is not based on data from multiple sources (children, parents, and teachers), and in most cases, researchers do not use diagnostic interviews, which would increase the reliability of the outcome measures [123].…”