This article reports results from an early intervention program aimed at preventing the development of anxiety in preschool children. Children were selected if they exhibited a high number of withdrawn/inhibited behaviors--one of the best identified risk factors for later anxiety disorders--and were randomly allocated to either a 6-session parent-education program or no intervention. The education program was group based and especially brief to allow the potential for public health application. Children whose parents were allocated to the education condition showed a significantly greater decrease in anxiety diagnoses at 12 months relative to those whose parents received no intervention. However, there were no significant effects demonstrated on measures of inhibition/withdrawal. The results demonstrate the value of (even brief) very early intervention for anxiety disorders, although these effects do not appear to be mediated through alterations of temperament.

Families of 54 behaviorally disturbed preschool-aged children (3 to 5 years) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: standard parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT; STD); modified PCIT that used didactic videotapes, telephone consultations, and face-to-face sessions to abbreviate treatment; and a no-treatment waitlist control group (WL). Twenty-one nondisturbed preschoolers were recruited as a social validation comparison condition. Posttreatment assessment indicated significant differences in parent-reported externalizing behavior in children, and parental stress and discipline practices from both treatment groups on most measures compared with the WL group. Clinical significance testing suggested a superior effect for the STD immediately after intervention, but by 6-month follow-up, the two groups were comparable. The findings indicate that abbreviated PCIT may be of benefit for families with young conduct problem children.

This brief, inexpensive intervention shows promise in potentially altering the trajectory of anxiety and related disorders in young inhibited children.

Elementary school children with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to a control group or an 8-session Primary and Secondary Control Enhancement Tiaining program. The program focused on (a) primary control (changing objective conditions to fit one's wishes; e.g., through activity selection and goal attainment) and (b) secondary control (changing oneself to buffer the impact of objective conditions; e.g., altering depressogenic thinking, practicing mood-enhancing cognitions). At immediate posttreatment and 9-month follow-up, the treatment group showed greater reductions than the control group in depressive symptomatology on the Children's Depression Inventory and the Revised Children's Depression Rating Scale, and treated children, more than controls, shifted from above to within the normal range on both measures. Future research is needed to test treatment effects with severely depressed youths.

The long-term effect of two parent training programs for conduct problem preschoolers is reported. Families of 54 behaviorally disturbed preschool-aged children were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: standard Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (STD), an abbreviated form of PCIT (ABB), and a no-treatment waitlist control group (WL). Of the families who completed treatment (STD and ABB), data were collected on 97% and 94% of families at 1- and 2-year follow-up, respectively. Follow-up assessment of parent report and independent observations indicated that treatment gains were largely maintained for both treatment conditions with little difference between the two treatments. The findings suggest that an abbreviated form of PCIT has long-term benefits for families with young children displaying early conduct problems.