Early Intervention Coping Kids (TIM) Follow up Study (FOPPT4)

The project objectives are to investigate if a preventive intervention targeting anxious and sad children aged 8 to 12 years has haf the anticipated long-term effects, 5 years after receiving the intervention. Hence: will an indicated intervention reduce the incidence of common mental disorders in youth in the long term? The current study is a 5 year follow up of the previously completed RCT called the TIM-study (Clinical Trials identifier: NCT 02340637), se also Patras et al, 2016. The aim of this study is to determine the long-term effects of the intervention to examine if true preventive effects are achieved as indicated by lower symptom levels, better functioning og fewer diagnosis of anxiety and depression 5 years after receiving an indicated preventiv intervention.

Youth in this arm received the intervention over 10 weeks during one semester (recruiting children over 6 semesters in total), children meeting in groups of approx. seven children. The groups were led by school health nurses. At the same time parents met for 7 group sessions, with the children participating in four of these

The youth in the control condition received treatment as usual, e.g. talks with school health nurses or no intervention

EMOTION Kids coping with anxiety and depression (Kendall et. al, 2013) (Mestrende barn in Norwegian) Martinsen et al, 2014

The intervention is transdiagnostic and based on cognitive behavioral therapy where the children and their parents meet i groups led of school health nurses. They are learning coping skills to meet challenging and avoided situations, learning about emotion regulation, physical symptoms conitive restructuring and exposure/behavioral activation. Te manual is publshed in a US/English version and in a Norwegian version.

SMFQ comprised of 13 questions assessing cognitive, affective and behavioral-related depressive symptoms in youth ages 8 - 18 during the last two weeks

Inclusion Criteria: Participants who participated in the previous randomized controlled TIM study Exclusion Criteria: all participats may enter the follow up study but participants who chose withdraw from the follow-up study of the TIM study are excluded -

Angold, A., Costello, E. J., Messer, S. C., & Pickles, A. (1995). Development of a short questionnaire for use in epidemiological studies of depression in children and adolescents. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 5(4), 237-249.

March, J. S. (1997). MASC - Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children - Technical Manual. Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.

Martinsen, K. D., Kendall, P. C., Stark, K. D., Rodriguez, K. A. O. N., & Arora, P. (2014). Mestrende barn, gruppeledermanual barn. Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Akademisk.

Patras J, Martinsen KD, Holen S, Sund AM, Adolfsen F, Rasmussen LP, Neumer SP. Study protocol of an RCT of EMOTION: An indicated intervention for children with symptoms of anxiety and depression. BMC Psychol. 2016 Sep 26;4(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s40359-016-0155-y.