Abstract
Objectives
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Secret Agent Society (SAS) small group program in improving children’s social skills, social competence and anxiety.
Methods
Participants included 27 children aged seven to 12 years (20 boys, seven girls) whose parents identified them as experiencing peer relationship difficulties or social anxiety. SAS featured a computer game and other spy-themed activities that children played during nine weekly 90 minute club meetings that were facilitated by University psychology clinic interns. The program also included weekly parent group training sessions, home missions (skills practice tasks) and weekly tip sheets that informed school staff about the skills that children were learning, and how they could support them in applying these skills in the classroom and playground. Program outcomes were evaluated using a range of parent- and child-report measures administered at pre-intervention, post-intervention and at six-week follow-up.
Results
Results suggested that SAS led to significant improvements in children’s social skills as reported by parents (Fs (2, 25) ≥ 21.91, ps < 0.0001, partial ɳ2s ≥ 0.46), children’s social competence as reported by parents (F(2, 25) = 17.12, p < 0.001, partial ɳ2 = 0.58), children’s overall anxiety as reported by parents (F(2, 25) = 8.57, p = 0.001, partial ɳ2 = 0.41), and children’s social anxiety as reported by themselves (F(2, 25) = 7.14, p = 0.004, partial ɳ2 = 0.36). All significant treatment effects were maintained at six-week follow-up.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that the program holds promise as a community-based resilience program for children, although larger scale controlled trials of the intervention are needed.
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Data Availability
All data are available at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/6t7c4/).
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Funding
This study was not supported by any grant funding.
Authors’ Contributions
RB, RP and KS all contributed to the design and execution of this study and the writing and editing of this paper. Data analyses were completed by RB and RP.
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Dr Renae Beaumont is the author of the Secret Agent Society Program and receives royalties on all program materials and practitioner training courses sold. Dr Roxana Pearson declares that she has no conflict of interest. Associate Professor Kate Sofronoff declares that she has no conflict of interest.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was granted Ethical Approval by the University of Queensland’s Behavioral and Social Sciences Ethical Review Committee.
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Beaumont, R.B., Pearson, R. & Sofronoff, K. A Novel Intervention for Child Peer Relationship Difficulties: The Secret Agent Society. J Child Fam Stud 28, 3075–3090 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01485-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01485-7