Article archive / July 1, 2014
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 11. Source pages: 10.
Dr. Carl Weems, Professor at University of New Orleans presented a new study that shows anxiety intervention programs may fit very well into school settings. They do not carry the same type of stigma for young people in comparison to general anxiety programs often do.
The study appears in Prevention Science, the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, published by Springer.
According to UNO news, “Weems says that anxiety problems are among the most common emotional difficulties youths experience, and are often linked to exposure to disasters. If not addressed, these feelings could lead to academic difficulties, the increased risk of developing depressive or anxiety disorders, and substance use problems in adulthood. It is, however, an issue that often falls under the radar in school settings. Therefore Weems and his team turned their attention to teaching students how to handle test anxiety. Nervousness is one way in which anxiety is commonly manifested among school-aged youth.”
Their research was conducted in five public schools in the Gulf South region and six years after Katrina. The intervention, where students were taught behavioral strategies such as relaxation, was conducted as part of the school’s counseling curriculum.
“Overall, the program was associated with decreases in test anxiety, anxiety disorder and depression symptoms, and especially helped the older students to feel more in control. In turn, decreases in test anxiety were linked with changes in symptoms of depression and anxiety, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The results suggest high participant satisfaction with the program.
Weems cautions that school-based test anxiety interventions should not be considered a first- line approach to treating severe anxiety disorders such as PTSD, but could be employed preventatively to teach students how to handle anxious emotions and internalizing problems more generally.”
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