Extrait

Background and study aims This one-year project will evaluate the effectiveness of a primary-school based intervention called FRIENDS. FRIENDS is designed to promote emotional resilience in order to prevent (or stabilise) the development of negative feelings of anxiety and depression, which are recognised as amongst the most common childhood disorders. FRIENDS is delivered both as a whole class programme, and also as a ‘selective’ or ‘small group’ intervention for particular pupils requiring additional support. It is intended to address all levels of prevention, early intervention, and treatment within a school setting. FRIENDS has developed an impressive international evidence base since its official launch in 1991, and is in use in at least 20 countries (including Ireland, where it forms part of the curriculum). It is the only childhood anxiety prevention program acknowledged by the World Health Organization. The project is important because research tells us that anxiety and depression are very common in children. It is suggested that by the age of 18, 1 in 10 children will have suffered from an anxiety disorder, with many more children experiencing serious symptoms that fall below clinical criteria for diagnosis. The aim of the FRIENDS curriculum is to prevent such problems before they occur, so it is important to see if, how, and why, and for who, the FRIENDS curriculum works for in English primary schools. Who can participate? The study will take place in Kent Local Authority, so all children who are on a given participating school’s full-time roll in year 5 at the start of the study will be considered as potential participants. What does the study involve? About 80 schools are participating in the study. Within each school, we randomly allocate half of the year 5 classes to participate in FRIENDS and half of the year 5 classes to continue as normal. Classes allocated to FRIENDS attend 10 weekly FRIENDS sessions, including a 1 and 3 month ‘booster’ session. During this time, members of our team visit the schools to talk to the pupils and staff involved to try and understand how FRIENDS is delivered, and what participant think is good and bad about the way FRIENDS is delivered. At the end of the school year, schools are free to continue to implement FRIENDS. We take a range of measures at the start of the FRIENDS programme (April 2016) and again in December to help us find out if FRIENDS is effective on range of outcomes, including emotional health, worry, wellbeing and behaviour. We also examine end of Key Stage 2 results to see if FRIENDS has helped with academic attainment. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? The project presents the opportunity to participate in a large and rigorous educational research study which will help promote social and emotional wellbeing in education; furthermore, the survey data for each school is extremely useful for school planning and other requirements (e.g. school inspections). The surveys have been used in a range of studies before and have been carefully constructed for use in these types of research. Previous studies have found no reports of any adverse effects. Where is the study run from? The study will be conducted in primary schools in Kent. When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? August 2015 to December 2016. Who is funding the study? The Educational Endowment Foundation (UK). Who is the main contact? Dr Michael Wigelsworth [email protected]

Critère d'inclusion

• Worry, anxiety, depression

Liens

• isrctn
• ictrp