Abstract
This study examined the effects of a school-based cognitive-behavioural group intervention for anxiety in young children, Get Lost Mr Scary, on child self-reported anxiety and coping skills. Participants included 65 children (Mage = 6.50 years, SDage = 0.75) drawn from 13 public primary schools located in Western Sydney, Australia. The children participated in seven weekly 1-hour Get Lost Mr Scary sessions, and their parents attended three information sessions. The pictorial semistructured Child Anxiety and Coping Interview (CACI) was used to elicit the children's self-report of their anxiety symptoms, emotions, coping strategies, and coping efficacy before and after the 7-week intervention. Although children rated their maladaptive coping strategies as helpful, the postintervention results indicated a significant decrease in the use of maladaptive strategies such as behavioural avoidance and an increase in adaptive cognitive strategies, particularly cognitive restructuring. Consistent with parent and teacher reports, child self-reports indicated a significant reduction in anxiety and negative emotional distress. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 67-87 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Educational and Developmental Psychologist |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2018 |
Keywords
- anxiety
- Children
- cognitive behavioural therapy
- coping strategies
- early intervention
- school