An effectiveness study of a culturally enriched school-based CBT anxiety prevention program

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are prevalent in the school-aged population and are present across cultural groups. Scant research exists on culturally relevant prevention and intervention programs for mental health problems in the Aboriginal populations. An established cognitive behavioral program, FRIENDS for Life, was enriched to include content that was culturally relevant to Aboriginal students. Students (N = 533), including 192 students of Aboriginal background, participated in the cluster randomized control study. Data were collected three times over 1 year. A series of multilevel models were conducted to examine the effect of the culturally enriched FRIENDS program on anxiety. These analyses revealed that the FRIENDS program did not effectively reduce anxiety for the total sample or for Aboriginal children specifically. However, all students, regardless of intervention condition, Aboriginal status, or gender, reported a consistent decrease in feelings of anxiety over the 6-month study period.