Initiative Description: Comprehensive review and evaluation of randomized-controlled trials of psychological programs, designed to prevent depression and/or anxiety in children and adolescents delivered in school settings.

Study Results: Subgroup analyses suggested that universal depression prevention programs had smaller effect sizes at post-test relative to targeted programs. For anxiety, effect sizes were comparable for universal and targeted programs. There was some evidence that externally-delivered interventions were superior to those delivered by school staff for depression, but not anxiety.

Reference: Werner-Seidler, A., Perry, Y., Calear, A. L., Newby, J. M., & Christensen, H. (2017). School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs for young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 51, 30–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.10.005

Level of Evidence: Very Good