Inquiry Question: What are some strategies to prevent or manage anxiety in the classroom?

Barrett, P.M., Farrell, L.J., Ollendick, T.H., & Dadds, M. (2006). Long-term outcomes of an Australian universal prevention trial of anxiety and depression symptoms in children and youth: An evaluation of the friends program. Journal of Clinical Child &Adolescent Psychology, 35:3, 403-411.

• This paper addressed the long-term effects and outcomes of the FRIENDS program, a universal cognitive behavioural prevention and intervention program that is aimed at preventing or lessening anxiety in students. Participants were children in either grade 6 or grade 9 (669 total participants) who completed 10 teacher-implemented sessions of the FRIENDS program, as well as 3 follow up conferences at 12,24, and 36 months, compared to a control group who did not. Anxiety scales and questionnaires were used to gather data. This study found the FRIENDS program to be more effective with grade 6 students than with grade 9 students, however, overall anxiety was lessened in both groups. The results of this study also revealed a prevention effect with considerably fewer high-risk students at the 36-month follow-up in the intervention condition than in the control condition.

Barrett, P.M., & Turner, C.M. (2004). Prevention strategies. In T.L. Morris & J.S. March (Eds.), Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (2^nd ed., pp. 371-386). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

• “Prevention strategies” is chapter 17 of the second edition book “Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents”, edited by Morris and March. While the book in general is a great resource for working with anxious children in and of itself, I have chosen to focus on chapter 17, prevention strategies. Even though anxiety disorders are amongst the most common disorders found in children, the authors of this chapter, Barrett and Turner, have recognized that research in the field of childhood anxiety prevention is lacking. Though the research is limited this chapter works to address studies that have been conducted concerning childhood anxiety disorders, in particular, 4 research studies focusing on anxiety prevention in children are outlined. This chapter also provides reviews of the current approaches to prevention and preventative interventions that are being used today.

Cuddy, A. (2012, June). Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

• In this 21-minute Ted talk Cuddy speaks about the power of body language and the effects that it can have on hormone levels, specifically testosterone, the dominance hormone, and cortisol, the stress hormone. According to Cuddy, humans express power through open and sprawling postures, and powerlessness through closed and tight postures. These postures then trigger the release of hormones that coincide with the behaviour and cause behavioural changes: High power (expansive) postures cause higher levels of testosterone and decreased levels of cortisol which lead to increased feelings of power and tolerance for risk and vice versa for low power (constrictive) postures. This has can have positive implications for anxious students in the classroom setting, as by changing their posture they can affectively work to reduce their cortisol (stress levels) and bring up their testosterone (dominance levels).

Farrell, L.J. & Barrett, P.M. (2007). Prevention of childhood emotional disorders: Reducing the burden of suffering associated with anxiety and depression. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, v.12, 2, 58-65.

• This paper provides a review of the prevalence of anxiety disorders amongst children and the current intervention programs set in place to combat these disorders. According to Farrell and Barrett, despite its prevalence, research regarding treatment for anxiety disorders suggests that most children who suffer will either not receive any clinical help or will stop going to treatment too early and thus experience recurrent anxiety problems. Prevention programs such as the FRIENDS program and the Queensland Early Intervention and Prevention of Anxiety Project are examined and teacher implementation is discussed. In this article future direction and research regarding anxiety disorders prevention and practice are deliberated.

Gray, P. (2014, May). The decline of play and rise of mental disorders. [Video file]. Retrieved from: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/The-Decline-of-Play-and-Rise-of

• In this 16-minute Tedx talk Gray speaks about the notion of free play and the gradual decline in children’s freedom to simply play with other children. According to Gray over the past 60 years there has been a sizeable decline in children’s ability to engage in free play, and subsequently an increase in mental health disorders, most notably for this inquiry, is the rise of anxiety disorders in these play deprived children. Based on his own and others’ research in this area, Gray outlines why play is vital for children’s social and emotional development. Gray addresses one particular study in which animals that have been deprived of play display crippled social and emotional learning skills, causing them to have trouble adjusting to new situations, new people, and to reading the social signals of others. Gray also outlines steps through which we, in my case teachers, can bring play back into the lives of children.

Tomb, M. & Hunter, L. (2004). Prevention of anxiety in children and adolescents in a school setting: The role of school-based practitioners. Children & Schools, v. 26, 2, 87-101.

• This article focuses on the unique role that school-based practitioners have when it comes to minimizing risk and preventing the development of anxiety disorders in children. Tomb and Hunter focus their paper on educating teachers about anxiety prevention and intervention methods and techniques, such as the three-tiered prevention model used to handle anxiety disorders. According to Tomb and Hunter this 3-tiered approach to intervention and prevention focuses on universal, selected and targeted levels of anxiety prevention. In the paper, Tomb and Hunter provide examples of interventions and programs that can be used by teachers at each level of the 3-tiered model, as well as the role that the teacher plays in implementing these interventions. Programs such as Ready…Set…R.E.L.A.X are discussed.

Additional Sources:

ADAA (2015). Anxiety and depression association of America. Retrieved February 26, 2015 from http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad

Anxiety BC (2014). What is anxiety? Retrieved February 20, 2015 from http://www.anxietybc.com/resources/anxiety.php

Anxiety Center (2015). What are anxiety symptoms? Retrieved February 26, from http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety/what-are-anxiety-symptoms.shtml

Jane Collingwood (2015). The power of music to reduce stress. Retrieved February 28 from http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/000930

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (n.d) Tips for teachers of anxious students. Retrieved March 3, from http://www.ocdsb.ca/com/Mental%20Health%20Docs/Tips%20for%20Teachers%20Anxious%20Students.pdf

Strong Kids (n.d.). University of Oregon. Retrieved February 27 from http://strongkids.uoregon.edu/index.html

Teach Thought (2013). 20 tips to reduce student anxiety. Retrieved fromThe Friends Programs (2013).

The FRIENDS Programs- Resilience for Life. Retrieved February 28 from http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/20-tips-to-reduce-student-anxiety/ http://friendsprograms.com/friends-for-life/

Waddell, C., Shepherd, C. (2002). Prevalence of mental disorders in children and youth. Mental health and community consultation unit, UBC.

 Worry Wise Kids (2013). Transforming the weight of the world into a world of possibilities. Retrieved March 3, from http://www.worrywisekids.org/node/40