The Cool Kids as a School-Based Universal Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Anxiety: Results of a Pilot Study

Simona Scaini, Federica Rossi, Ronald M. Rapee, Francesca Bonomi, Giovanni M. Ruggiero and Alessia Incerti
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Simona Scaini: Child and Youth Lab, Sigmund Freud University, 20143 Milan, Italy
Federica Rossi: Studi Cognitivi Clinics, Center for the Developmental Age, 20136 Milan, Italy
Ronald M. Rapee: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Francesca Bonomi: Child and Youth Lab, Sigmund Freud University, 20143 Milan, Italy
Giovanni M. Ruggiero: Child and Youth Lab, Sigmund Freud University, 20143 Milan, Italy
Alessia Incerti: Equipe Kairos, 20061 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 2, 1-11

Abstract: The efficacy of the Cool Kids program has been consistently demonstrated both within Australia and internationally, but limited data are available on the use of Cool Kids as a universal program. The purpose of the study is to evaluate Cool Kids as a universal program for preventing childhood anxiety in the school context. There were 73 Italian children (35 boys and 36 girls, ages 10–13 years) attending the last year of primary school and the first year of middle school who participated in an active intervention based on a school adaptation of the Cool Kids protocol. Results of t -test analyses highlighted a downward trend of anxiety symptoms, especially in total anxiety, somatic anxiety, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety and school phobia at post-treatment assessed by children. Even the score of depression symptoms, measured as a second outcome measure, decreased after the treatment. This study contributes to the evidence base for the Cool Kids program as a universal program for preventing childhood anxiety in the school context. Although these preliminary results show some promise, their replication in future research is necessary given current study limitations.

Keywords: anxiety; children; Cool Kids; CBT; school; intervention; universal program (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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