It is normal for children to feel scared, worried or anxious sometimes. However, for some children, fears, worries and anxiety can start to interfere with their day-to-day lives. Children who experience significant problems with anxiety are more likely than their peers to experience mental health problems and impaired quality of life in adulthood. Helping children to build confidence from a young age could help them to have fewer problems with fears and worries in the future.
Through the MY-CATS project, we explored how to identify young children at risk of developing anxiety difficulties and how to offer support to families in an accessible and effective way.
We worked with over 90 schools in England and invited families of children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to take part.
We used questionnaires to identify families who may be most likely to benefit from support, and offered some of these families a brief online parent-led programme (OSI) straight away, and others a written version of the support programme later on in the project.
This work has contributed to improved understanding of how early identification and support for child anxiety can be delivered in real-world settings, and how schools can play a key role in prevention and early intervention.
Publications
Please see below for research papers published by the MY-CATS team:
- Protocol – https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06010-8
- Statistical Analysis Plan – https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06899-1
- Research Paper – https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.70119