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Who benefits most from an evidence-based program to reduce anxiety and depression in children? A latent profile analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2021

Silvia Melero*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
Alexandra Morales
Affiliation:
Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
Samuel Tomczyk
Affiliation:
Department Health and Prevention, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
José Pedro Espada
Affiliation:
Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
Mireia Orgilés
Affiliation:
Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain
*
Author for Correspondence: Silvia Melero, Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. de la Universidad s/n, Elche, 03202, Alicante, Spain; E-mail: smelero@umh.es

Abstract

Comorbidity between anxiety and depression symptoms is often high in children. Person-oriented statistical approaches are useful to detect heterogeneity of individuals and diverse patterns of response to treatment. This study aimed to explore the different profiles in a sample of Spanish children who received the Super Skills for Life (SSL) transdiagnostic program, to identify which profile of individuals benefited most from the intervention and the likelihood of transition of symptom patterns over time. Participants were 119 children (42.9% were female) aged 8–12 years old (M = 9.39; SD = 1.26). Children completed anxiety and depression measures at the baseline, postintervention, and 12-months follow-up. Results from latent transition analysis (LTA) revealed two groups depending on the severity of the anxiety and depression symptoms: low symptoms (LS) and high symptoms (HS). LS group remained stable and HS decreased by 25%, switching to the LS group. Children with greater social anxiety benefited most from the program over time. Furthermore, older children were more likely to improve rapidly one year after the intervention compared to younger children. This study provides information to consider when implementing preventive interventions for schoolchildren and to tailor them according to the target population characteristics to increase their effectiveness.

Type
Regular Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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