School-based cognitive behavioral intervention for depressive symptoms in children

Abstract

The present study evaluated the efficacy for depressive symptoms in children of a school-based universal program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Key components of the program used in the present study were psychoeducation, social skills training, and cognitive restructuring. The participating children (aged 10-12 years) were assigned either to a cognitive behavior therapy group (n = 150) or to a no-treatment control condition (n -160). The intervention involved nine 45-minute sessions during school classes. In a pretreatment-posttreatment comparison, the self-reports of the children in the cognitive behavior therapy group of depressive symptoms, cognitive errors, social skills, and school functioning were superior to those of the children in the no-treatment condition. These results provide support for the efficacy of the intervention.