TY - JOUR
T1 - The effectiveness of the FRIENDS programs for children and adolescents
T2 - A meta-analytic review
AU - Fisak, Brian
AU - Griffin, Kelly
AU - Nelson, Christopher
AU - Gallegos Guajardo, Julia
AU - Davila-de Gárate, Sara Maria
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier GmbH
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - FRIENDS is an internationally recognized program designed to prevent anxiety and improve resilience skills. More specifically, the program is grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and is activity/play based, and variations of the program have been adapted for all age groups (i.e., preschool through adulthood). Numerous clinical trials have been conducted to examine the efficacy of these programs. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analytic review of the FRIENDS program for children and adolescents. A total of 41 controlled trials met inclusion criteria, and findings indicated that, relative to comparison groups, those who took part in FRIENDS exhibited lower scores on measures of anxiety (d= -0.20) and measures of depression (d= -0.24) at post-intervention. In addition, the effect sizes were maintained at 6- to 12-month follow-up. Based on moderator analyses, larger effect sizes were found for trials conducted by mental health clinicians relative to other professionals. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend towards larger effect sizes for targeted programs (d= -0.41) relative to universal programs (d= -0.14). Results of other moderator analyses, results of uncontrolled trials, and directions for future research are also discussed.
AB - FRIENDS is an internationally recognized program designed to prevent anxiety and improve resilience skills. More specifically, the program is grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and is activity/play based, and variations of the program have been adapted for all age groups (i.e., preschool through adulthood). Numerous clinical trials have been conducted to examine the efficacy of these programs. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analytic review of the FRIENDS program for children and adolescents. A total of 41 controlled trials met inclusion criteria, and findings indicated that, relative to comparison groups, those who took part in FRIENDS exhibited lower scores on measures of anxiety (d= -0.20) and measures of depression (d= -0.24) at post-intervention. In addition, the effect sizes were maintained at 6- to 12-month follow-up. Based on moderator analyses, larger effect sizes were found for trials conducted by mental health clinicians relative to other professionals. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend towards larger effect sizes for targeted programs (d= -0.41) relative to universal programs (d= -0.14). Results of other moderator analyses, results of uncontrolled trials, and directions for future research are also discussed.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.mhp.2023.200271
DO - 10.1016/j.mhp.2023.200271
M3 - Review article
SN - 2212-6570
VL - 30
JO - Mental Health and Prevention
JF - Mental Health and Prevention
M1 - 200271
ER -