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- Preliminary perceived intervention changes and engagement in an evidence-based program targeted at behavioral inhibition during early childhood, delivered in-person and onlinePublication . Guedes, Maryse; Maia, Rita; Matos, Inês; Antunes, Marta; Rolão, Teresa; Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea; Rubin, Kenneth; Veríssimo, Manuela; Santos, Antonio JoséIntroduction: Behavioral inhibition during early childhood is one of the strongest risk factors for the development of later anxiety disorders. Recently developed in- person interventions that target both young children who are highly inhibited and their parents (e.g., the Turtle Program), have decreased children’s anxiety and have increased social participation in the peer group. However, researchers have yet to examine the eects of intervention mode of delivery. In the present study, we compared the pre-to post-intervention changes in child and parenting functioning of families participating in the Turtle Program, delivered in-person and online with those changes made in families allocated to a waiting-list condition; compared session attendance, homework completion and satisfaction with the intervention outcomes of families involved in the Turtle Program, delivered in-person and online; and explored the predictive role of parenting and child factors in session attendance, homework completion and satisfaction with the outcomes of families involved in the Turtle Program, depending on the mode of delivery (in-person vs. online). Method: Fifty-seven parents of highly inhibited preschoolers (3–5 years), with no diagnosis of selective mutism or developmental disorders, who were randomly allocated to waiting-list (n = 20), Turtle Program delivered in-person (n = 17) and online (n = 20) conditions completed the Portuguese versions of the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire, the Preschool Anxiety Scale, the Social Behavior and Competence Scale, the Modified Child-Rearing Practices Questionnaire at pre- and post-intervention assessment. Parents also completed the Preschool Shyness Study Satisfaction Survey at post-intervention assessment. Results: Independent of intervention mode of delivery, generalized equation estimates revealed a reduction in children’s total anxiety symptoms and an improvement in parental nurturing behaviors. Child anxiety and social competence at pre-assessment were the most prominent predictors of session attendance and satisfaction with post-intervention child and parenting outcomes. Discussion: Overall, this study showed that parents in both intervention conditions perceived comparable positive changes in child functioning from pre- to post- intervention assessment and similar levels of session attendance, homework completion, and satisfaction. Significantly, however, perceived satisfaction with post-intervention child and parenting outcomes was higher, when children were reported to display higher SEL skills at baseline, independent of the intervention mode of delivery.
- Evidence-based interventions targeted at behavioral inhibition, shyness, and anxious withdrawal during the preschool years: A rapid reviewPublication . Maia, Rita; Santos, Ana Filipa; Veríssimo, Manuela; Santos, António J.; Guedes, MaryseHigh and stable behavioral inhibition (BI) during early childhood may place individuals at increased risk of experiencing anxiety during the COVID-19 crisis. Prior knowledge syntheses showed that selective prevention interventions were efective in reducing child BI and anxiety. However, the efectiveness of preschool-based universal and selective prevention interventions targeted at BI to improve child social outcomes remains unclear. Due to the vulnerability of highly inhibited children, this rapid review aimed to (1) synthetize the characteristics of evidence-based interventions targeted at BI, and (2) summarize intervention outcomes in domains of child individual and social functioning. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published between january 1991 and december 2021, conducted with highly inhibited children aged 3 to 5 years, were included in the review. Thirteen RCTs on four evidence-based interventions targeted at BI were retained. Most studies were conducted in samples of married/cohabitating and highly educated mothers and almost half of them described parent-only interventions. Three pilot RCTs on child-only and multimodal interventions found signifcant post-intervention improvements in observed child social competence and positive peer interactions. Pre-to-post intervention changes in parent and teacher ratings on child social outcomes were less consistent across studies. Further large-scale RCTs with medium-to-long term follow-ups are needed to examine intervention outcomes in domains of child social functioning, using a multi-informant and multi-method approach. After the COVID-19 crisis, preschool-based universal interventions targeting BI may enhance the engagement of inhibited children from diverse communities and contribute to the generalization of intervention efects to naturalistic peer settings.