S T R E S S AND ANXIETY in school-age children and teenagers are broadly considered to be a normal part of development – serving to enhance performance or provide a protective defense against interpersonal threats. For select individuals, however, when adverse circumstances cause excessive worries and sadness, personal apprehension can be extremely debilitating (Treadwell, Flannery-Schroeder, & Kendall, 1995). The goal of much clinical research in recent years has been to identify the risk and protective mechanisms that mediate psychological health and dysfunction. With a better understanding of the relationship between situational and internal characteristics of emotional distress, mental health professionals have been better equipped to develop prevention, emotional resiliency training (early intervention), and treatment programs to address the specific needs of children and youth at risk (Barrett, Dadds, & Rapee, 1996; Kendall et al., 1997; Shortt, Barrett, & Fox, 2001; Silverman et al., 1999). Unfortunately, research to date has been disproportionately focused on Anglo youth, largely neglecting growing multicultural populations.
Over the past decade, cross-cultural research has highlighted the plight of children and teenagers who migrate with their families to countries of diverse culture. Whether migrating under refugee status, or for political/economic reasons, children and teenagers of non-English speaking background (NESB) migrating families are confronted with a plethora of situational and emotional difficulties (Barrett, Sonderegger, & Sonderegger, in press; Sam, 2000).
Early cross-cultural literature identifies components that mediate the amount of stress that children and adolescents experience when adjusting to a new cultural environment.
Psychosocial prevention, early intervention, and treatment programs in the school setting that feature cognitive-behavioral counseling approaches, are increasingly recognized as valid and effective tools in building emotional resiliency against psychological distress (Barrett, 1999; Barrett, Lowry, & Wallis, 1999). However, clinical studies incorporating their use with non-Anglo populations are unfortunately rare. Of the few empirical trials that have been conducted with NESB populations, conclusions have been limited by a myriad of methodological difficulties.
A preliminary treatment–wait-list comparison trial examining the utility of the FRIENDS program with clinically anxious female teenage refugees from the former- Yugoslavia (Barrett, Moore, & Sonderegger, 2000) revealed the cognitive-behavior therapy program to be effective in reducing emotional distress. Although intervention participants reported significantly lower levels of anxiety at post treatment than teenagers participating in a control condition, the small treatment sample size (n = 9) rendered statistical power unable to determine the program’s ethnic applicability and efficacy with any real degree of certainty. In an attempt to generate greater statistical power and trial cognitive-behavioral program techniques across different age groups (elementary and high schools), genders, and cultural groups, Barrett et al. (2001) replicated and expanded initial research endeavors.
S T R E S S AND ANXIETY in school-age children and teenagers are broadly considered to be a normal part of development – serving to enhance performance or provide a protective defense against interpersonal threats. For select individuals, however, when adverse circumstances cause excessive worries and sadness, personal apprehension can be extremely debilitating (Treadwell, Flannery-Schroeder, & Kendall, 1995). The goal of much clinical research in recent years has been to identify the risk and protective mechanisms that mediate psychological health and dysfunction. With a better understanding of the relationship between situational and internal characteristics of emotional distress, mental health professionals have been better equipped to develop prevention, emotional resiliency training (early intervention), and treatment programs to address the specific needs of children and youth at risk (Barrett, Dadds, & Rapee, 1996; Kendall et al., 1997; Shortt, Barrett, & Fox, 2001; Silverman et al., 1999). Unfortunately, research to date has been disproportionately focused on Anglo youth, largely neglecting growing multicultural populations.
Over the past decade, cross-cultural research has highlighted the plight of children and teenagers who migrate with their families to countries of diverse culture. Whether migrating under refugee status, or for political/economic reasons, children and teenagers of non-English speaking background (NESB) migrating families are confronted with a plethora of situational and emotional difficulties (Barrett, Sonderegger, & Sonderegger, in press; Sam, 2000).
Early cross-cultural literature identifies components that mediate the amount of stress that children and adolescents experience when adjusting to a new cultural environment.
Psychosocial prevention, early intervention, and treatment programs in the school setting that feature cognitive-behavioral counseling approaches, are increasingly recognized as valid and effective tools in building emotional resiliency against psychological distress (Barrett, 1999; Barrett, Lowry, & Wallis, 1999). However, clinical studies incorporating their use with non-Anglo populations are unfortunately rare. Of the few empirical trials that have been conducted with NESB populations, conclusions have been limited by a myriad of methodological difficulties.
A preliminary treatment–wait-list comparison trial examining the utility of the FRIENDS program with clinically anxious female teenage refugees from the former- Yugoslavia (Barrett, Moore, & Sondere
S T R E S S AND ANXIETY in school-age children and teenagers are broadly considered to be a normal part of development – serving to enhance performance or provide a protective defense against interpersonal threats. For select individuals, however, when adverse circumstances cause excessive worries and sadness, personal apprehension can be extremely debilitating (Treadwell, Flannery-Schroeder, & Kendall, 1995). The goal of much clinical research in recent years has been to identify the risk and protective mechanisms that mediate psychological health and dysfunction. With a better understanding of the relationship between situational and internal characteristics of emotional distress, mental health professionals have been better equipped to develop prevention, emotional resiliency training (early intervention), and treatment programs to address the specific needs of children and youth at risk (Barrett, Dadds, & Rapee, 1996; Kendall et al., 1997; Shortt, Barrett, & Fox, 2001; Silverman et al., 1999). Unfortunately, research to date has been disproportionately focused on Anglo youth, largely neglecting growing multicultural populations.
Over the past decade, cross-cultural research has highlighted the plight of children and teenagers who migrate with their families to countries of diverse culture. Whether migrating under refugee status, or for political/economic reasons, children and teenagers of non-English speaking background (NESB) migrating families are confronted with a plethora of situational and emotional difficulties (Barrett, Sonderegger, & Sonderegger, in press; Sam, 2000).
Early cross-cultural literature identifies components that mediate the amount of stress that children and adolescents experience when adjusting to a new cultural environment.
Psychosocial prevention, early intervention, and treatment programs in the school setting that feature cognitive-behavioral counseling approaches, are increasingly recognized as valid and effective tools in building emotional resiliency against psychological distress (Barrett, 1999; Barrett, Lowry, & Wallis, 1999). However, clinical studies incorporating their use with non-Anglo populations are unfortunately rare. Of the few empirical trials that have been conducted with NESB populations, conclusions have been limited by a myriad of methodological difficulties.
A preliminary treatment–wait-list comparison trial examining the utility of the FRIENDS program with clinically anxious female teenage refugees from the former- Yugoslavia (Barrett, Moore, & Sonderegger, 2000) revealed the cognitive-behavior therapy program to be effective in reducing emotional distress. Although intervention participants reported significantly lower levels of anxiety at post treatment than teenagers participating in a control condition, the small treatment sample size (n = 9) rendered statistical power unable to determine the program’s ethnic applicability and efficacy with any real degree of certainty. In an attempt to generate greater statistical power and trial cognitive-behavioral program techniques across different age groups (elementary and high schools), genders, and cultural groups, Barrett et al. (2001) replicated and expanded initial research endeavors.
gger, 2000) revealed the cognitive-behavior therapy program to be effective in reducing emotional distress. Although intervention participants reported significantly lower levels of anxiety at post treatment than teenagers participating in a control condition, the small treatment sample size (n = 9) rendered statistical power unable to determine the program’s ethnic applicability and efficacy with any real degree of certainty. In an attempt to generate greater statistical power and trial cognitive-behavioral program techniques across different age groups (elementary and high schools), genders, and cultural groups, Barrett et al. (2001) replicated and expanded initial research endeavors.