School-based Prevention for Children with Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

OBjective This is the first study investigating the effectiveness of FRIENDS for Life as a school-based indicated prevention program for childhood anxiety and depression as part of an existing public health school-based prevention program. MethOds The study was designed as a cluster-controlled trial, with 339 children receiving FRIENDS for Life and 157 children receiving no intervention (8-13 years, 63% female). Anxiety and depression were assessed pre-and post-intervention using children's self-report, teacher report and peer report. As anxiety and depression have a strong experiential component, we considered children's self-report as our most important outcome measure. cOnclusiOn According to children's self-report, FRIENDS for Life is effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression as an indicated prevention program in the school context. These findings are, however, not confirmed by teachers or peers.