| Summary: | A growing literature has investigated the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for
treating children with anxiety disorders; however, there remains scant research to discover if
cognitive-behavior therapy programs can be used as a preventative approach for anxiety.
This study adds to the limited available research on the prevention of anxiety by
implementing and evaluation a locally developed cognitive-behavioral intervention program,
Taming Worry Dragons.
This study examined the effectiveness of a school based cognitive-behavioral
intervention for reducing rates of anxiety symptoms in children aged 7 to 12 years. Using a
universal prevention approach, 162 children were randomly assigned (school as unit of
randomization) to either an 8-week cognitive-behavioral intervention group or to a wait list
control group. Children's anxiety levels were assessed before and immediately after the
intervention by child self-report (Multidimensional Anxiety Screen for Children, March,
1997) and by parent reports (Behavioral Assessment Schedule for Children, Kamphaus,
1992). Results of the statistical analysis (ANCOVA) indicate that the manualized CBT
intervention, which included relaxation training, cognitive restructuring, and behavioural
components, was not successful in reducing symptoms of anxiety within the general
population of school aged children. The children in the wait-list condition, however, did
report significantly lower mean scores on the self-report measure. A separate wi thin-group
analysis was performed, examining those children with elevated self-report scores only (T
score of 55+ in treatment and WL groups). Those in the treatment condition significantly
improved following the intervention (effect size of .8) while those in the waitlist condition
remained unchanged. === Education, Faculty of === Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of === Graduate
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