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Child Anxiety Prevention Study: Impact on Functional Outcomes

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Abstract

This study examined the impact of a selective anxiety prevention program for offspring of clinically anxious parents on three domains of child functioning: (1) social, (2) familial, and (3) emotional/behavioral. Dyads were randomized into either the Coping and Promoting Strength program (CAPS; n = 70) or Information Monitoring (IM; n = 66) comparison group. Multi-informant assessments were conducted at baseline, post intervention, and 6 and 12 months follow-ups. Random effects mixed models under the linear growth modeling (LGM) framework was used to assess the impact of CAPS on growth trajectories. Over time, children in the CAPS group had significantly lower anxiety, anxious/depressed symptoms, and lower total behavior problems (parent report), compared to children in IM group. The intervention did not impact other domains assessed (e.g., social functioning), which may be due to “floor effects” on these measures. Longitudinal follow-up data is needed to provide valuable information about this high risk population.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a NIMH Grant (R01 MH077312) awarded to Dr. Golda Ginsburg by the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, 65 Kane Street, Room 2033, West Hartford, CT, 06119, USA

    Jeffrey E. Pella & Golda S. Ginsburg

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Kelly L. Drake

  3. Department of Psychology, Prevention Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Jenn-Yun Tein

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  1. Jeffrey E. Pella
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  2. Kelly L. Drake
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  4. Golda S. Ginsburg
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Correspondence to Golda S. Ginsburg.

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Pella, J.E., Drake, K.L., Tein, JY. et al. Child Anxiety Prevention Study: Impact on Functional Outcomes. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 48, 400–410 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-016-0667-y

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