Validation of the FRIENDS Anxiety Prevention Program for Children in Canada
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
22 November 2016
Abstract
The objective of this pilot project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the FRIENDS program in reducing anxiety and symptoms of depression for children in Regina public schools. The project comprised 461 children in Grades 1, 4, 5, and 6 who participated in the 10-week FRIENDS program between September 2013 and May 2014. Effectiveness of the program was measured using the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale, which was administered at the beginning and end of the program. The percentage of children with subclinical or clinical levels of anxiety and depression significantly decreased from 21.8% to 13.4%. This study validated the effectiveness of the FRIENDS program in children in Regina schools.
Résumé
Ce projet pilote avait pour but d’évaluer l’efficacité du programme FRIENDS à réduire les symptôms d’anxiété et de dépression chez les enfants des écoles publiques de Regina. 461 enfants de 1e, 4e 5e et 6e années ont participé au programme FRIENDS de 10 semaines entre septembre 2013 et mai 2014. Pour mesurer l’efficacité du programme, on s’est servi de l’Échelle révisée de mesure de l’anxiété et de la dépression chez l’enfant qui a été administrée au début et à la fin du programme. Le pourcentage des enfants manifestant des degrés infracliniques ou cliniques d’anxiété et de dépression a considérablement diminué passant de 21,8% à 13,4%. Cette étude confirme l’efficacité du programme FRIENDS chez les enfants des écoles de Regina.
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Published In
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 35 • Number 3 • December 2016
Pages: 25 - 40
History
Version of record online: 22 November 2016
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Jennifer Rose St.Onge, Robert Stephenson, and Bindu Senthil Kumar. 2016. Validation of the FRIENDS Anxiety Prevention Program for Children in Canada. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
35(3): 25-40. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2016-036
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