Abstract
Current estimates suggest that between 8 and 22% of children and adolescents may suffer from an anxiety disorder. Effective intervention efforts are therefore clearly needed to reduce the likelihood of anxious symptoms and promote healthy functioning. One intervention that appears feasible for use in schools and was designed to target anxiety symptoms is the FRIENDS for Life program. Evaluation of FRIENDS has been limited in the United States; however, criteria for evaluation of such programs are available. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to review the research base regarding the FRIENDS for Life program and apply coding procedures to examine program effectiveness. Overall, results suggested promise for use in school-based settings, given demonstrated effectiveness in reducing anxiety symptoms in both universal and targeted populations when implemented within the school ecology. Limitations of the existing evidence base, however, are discussed, thus providing direction for future research.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albano, A. M., & Kendall, P. C. (2002). Cognitive behavioural therapy for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders: Clinical research advances. International Review of Psychiatry, 14, 129–134.
American Psychological Association. (2004). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Barrett, P. M., Farrell, L. J., Ollendick, T. H., & Dadds, M. (2006). Long-term outcomes of an Australian universal prevention trial of anxiety and depression symptoms in children and youth: An evaluation of the FRIENDS program. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 403–411.
Barrett, P. M., Lock, S., & Farrell, L. J. (2005). Developmental differences in universal preventive intervention for child anxiety. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 10, 539–555.
Barrett, P. M., & Pahl, K. M. (2006). School-based intervention: Examining a universal approach to anxiety management. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 16, 55–75.
Barrett, P. M., Sonderegger, R., & Sonderegger, S. L. (2001). Evaluation of an anxiety-prevention and positive-coping program (FRIENDS) for children and adolescents of non-English speaking backgrounds. Behaviour Change, 18, 78–91.
Barrett, P. M., Sonderegger, R., & Xenos, S. (2003). Using FRIENDS to combat anxiety and adjustment problems among young migrants to Australia: A national trial. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 8, 241–260.
Barrett, P. M., & Turner, C. (2001). Prevention of anxiety symptoms in primary school children: Preliminary results from a universal school-based trial. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 40, 399–410.
Barrett, P. M., Webster, H., & Turner, C. (2000). FRIENDS prevention of anxiety and depression for children group leader’s manual. Bowen Hills, Australia: Australian Academic Press.
Battle, J. (1992). Culture-free self esteem inventories (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: ProEd.
Bernstein, G. A., Layne, A. E., Egan, E. A., & Tennison, D. M. (2005). School-based interventions for anxious children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 1118–1127.
Birmaher, B., Brent, D. A., Chiappetta, L., Bridge, J., Monga, S., & Baugher, M. (1999). Psychometric properties of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (SCARED): A replication study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 1230–1236.
Brodzinsky, D. M., Elias, M. J., Steiger, C., Simon, J., Gill, M., & Hitt, J. C. (1992). Coping scale for children and youth. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 13, 195–214.
Carlson, C., & Christenson, S. (2005). Evidence-based parent and family interventions in school psychology: Overview and procedures. School Psychology Review, 20, 345–351.
Compton, S. N., March, J. S., Brent, D., Albano, A. M., Weersing, V. R., & Curry, J. (2004). Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents: An evidence-based medicine review. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 930–959.
Cooley, M. R., Boyd, R. C., & Grados, J. J. (2004). Feasibility of an anxiety preventive intervention for community violence exposed African American children. Journal of Primary Prevention, 25, 105–123.
Coopersmith, S. (1989). Self-esteem inventories. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Costello, E. J., Mustillo, S., Erkanli, A., Keeler, G., & Angold, A. (2003). Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 837–844.
Dadds, M. R., Heard, P. M., & Rapee, R. M. (1991). Anxiety disorders in children. International Review of Psychiatry, 3, 231–241.
Dadds, M. R., Perrin, S., & Yule, W. (1998). Social desirability and self-reported anxiety in children: An analysis of the RCMAS Lie Scale. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 311–317.
Dadds, M. R., Spence, S. H., Holland, D. E., Barrett, P. M., & Laurens, K. R. (1997). Prevention and early intervention for anxiety disorders: A controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 627–635.
Essau, C. A. (2005). Frequency and patterns of mental health services utilization among adolescents with anxiety and depressive disorders. Depression and Anxiety, 22, 130–137.
Farmer, E. M. Z., Burns, B. J., Phillips, S. D., Angold, A., & Costello, E. J. (2003). Pathways into and through mental health services for children and adolescents. Psychiatric Services, 54, 60–66.
Farrell, L. J., & Barrett, P. M. (2003). Prevention of childhood emotional disorders: Reducing the burden of suffering associated with anxiety and depression. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 12, 58–65.
Flannery-Schroeder, E. C., & Kendall, P. C. (2000). Group and individual cognitive-behavioral treatments for youth with anxiety disorders: A randomized clinical trial. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 24, 251–278.
Ginsburg, G. S., Becker, K. D., Kingery, J. N., & Nichols, T. (2008). Transporting CBT for childhood anxiety disorders into inner-city school-based mental health clinics. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 15, 148–158.
In-Albon, T., & Schneider, S. (2007). Psychotherapy of childhood anxiety disorders. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 76, 15–24.
Kazdin, A., & Weisz, J. R. (1998). Identifying and developing empirically supported treatments for children and adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 19–36.
Kendall, P. C. (1990). Coping cat workbook. Ardmore, PA: Workbook Publishing.
Kendall, P. C. (1994). Treating anxiety disorders in children: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 100–110.
Kratochwill, T. R., & Stoiber, K. C. (2002). Evidence-based interventions in school psychology: Conceptual foundations of the Procedural and Coding Manual of Division 16 and the Society for the Study of School Psychology task force. School Psychology Quarterly, 17, 341–389.
Liddle, I., & Macmillan, S. (2010). Evaluating the FRIENDS programme in a Scottish setting. Educational Psychology in Practice, 26, 53–67.
Lock, S., & Barrett, P. M. (2003). A longitudinal study of developmental differences in universal preventive intervention for child anxiety. Behaviour Change, 20, 183–199.
Lowry-Webster, H. M., Barrett, P. M., & Dadds, M. R. (2001). A universal prevention trial of anxiety and depressive symptomatology in childhood: Preliminary data from an Australian study. Behaviour Change, 18, 36–50.
Lowry-Webster, H. M., Barrett, P. M., & Lock, S. (2003). A universal prevention trial of anxiety symptomatology during childhood: Results at a 1-year follow up. Behaviour Change, 20, 25–43.
March, J. S., Parker, J. D. A., Sullivan, K., Stallings, P., & Conners, C. K. (1997). The multidimensional anxiety scale for children (MASC): Factor structure, reliability, and validity. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 554–565.
Masia-Warner, C., Klein, R. G., Dent, H. C., Fisher, P. H., Alvir, J., et al. (2005). School-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: Results of a controlled study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 707–722.
McLoone, J., Hudson, J. L., & Rapee, R. M. (2006). Treating anxiety disorders in a school setting. Education and Treatment of Children, 29, 219–242.
Miller, L. D. (2008). Facing fears: The feasibility of anxiety universal prevention efforts with children and adolescents. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 15, 28–35.
Mostert, J., & Loxton, H. (2008). Exploring the effectiveness of the FRIENDS program in reducing anxiety symptoms among South African children. Behaviour Change, 25, 85–96.
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2009). Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities. Committee on the Prevention of Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse Among Children, Youth, and Young Adults: Research Advances and Promising Interventions. Mary Ellen O’Connell, Thomas Boat, and Kenneth E. Warner, Editors. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Office of the Surgeon General. (1999). Children and mental health. In Mental health: A report of the Surgeon General (Ch. 3). Retrieved from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/pdfs/C3.pdf.
Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (1985). The revised children’s manifest anxiety scale: Manual. New York: Western Psychological Services.
Rose, H., Miller, L., & Martinez, Y. (2009). FRIENDS for life: The results of a resilience-building, anxiety-prevention program in a Canadian elementary school. Professional School Counseling, 12, 400–407.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Sarason, I. G. (1975). Test anxiety, attention and the general problem of anxiety. In C. D. Spielberger & I. G. Sarason (Eds.), Stress and anxiety (pp. 165–188). Washington, DC: Hemisphere/Wiley.
Shortt, A. L., Barrett, P. M., & Fox, T. L. (2001). Evaluating the FRIENDS program: A cognitive-behavioral group treatment for anxious children and their parents. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 525–535.
Sink, C. A., & Igelman, C. N. (2004). Anxiety disorders. In F. M. Kline & L. B. Silver (Eds.), The educator’s guide to mental health issues in the classroom (pp. 171–192). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Spence, S. H. (1997). Structure of anxiety symptoms in children: A confirmatory factor-analytic study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 280–297.
Stallard, P., Simpson, N., Anderson, S., Carter, T., Osborn, C., & Bush, S. (2005). An evaluation of the FRIENDS programme: A cognitive behavior therapy intervention to promote emotional resilience. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 90, 1016–1019.
Stallard, P., Simpson, N., Anderson, S., & Goddard, M. (2008). The FRIENDS emotional health prevention programme: 12 month follow-up of a universal UK school based trial. European Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 17, 283–289.
Stallard, P., Simpson, N., Anderson, S., Hibbert, S., & Osborn, C. (2007). The FRIENDS emotional health programme: Initial findings from a school-based project. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 12, 32–37.
Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions. (2003). Procedural and coding manual for review of evidence-based interventions. Retrieved September 1, 2009 from http://www.indiana.edu/~ebi/projects.html.
Tomb, M., & Hunter, L. (2004). Prevention of anxiety in children and adolescents in a school setting: The role of school-based practitioners. Children in Schools, 26, 87–101.
World Health Organization (2004). Prevention of mental disorders: Effective interventions and policy options. Geneva. Retrieved from www.who.int/entity/mental-health/evidence/en/prevention_of_mental_disorders_sr.pdf.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Briesch, A.M., Hagermoser Sanetti, L.M. & Briesch, J.M. Reducing the Prevalence of Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: An Evaluation of the Evidence Base for the FRIENDS for Life Program. School Mental Health 2, 155–165 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-010-9042-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-010-9042-5