Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools-identification to intervention (iCATS-i2i): protocol for single-arm feasibility trial

Tessa Reardon; Susan Ball; Maria Breen; Paul Brown; Emily Day; Tamsin Ford; Alastair Gray; Iheoma Green; Claire Hill; Bec Jasper; Thomas King; Michael Larkin; Ian Macdonald; Fran Morgan; Jack Pollard; Michelle Sancho; Falko F. Sniehotta; Susan H. Spence; Paul Stallard; Jason Stainer; Obioha C. Ukoumunne; Mara Violato; Chloe Williams; Victoria Williamson; Cathy Creswell

doi:10.1186/s40814-022-01140-x

Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools-identification to intervention (iCATS-i2i): protocol for single-arm feasibility trial

Tessa Reardon^*
, Susan Ball
, Maria Breen
, Paul Brown
, Emily Day
, Tamsin Ford
, Alastair Gray
, Iheoma Green
, Claire Hill
, Bec Jasper
, Thomas King
, Michael Larkin
, Ian Macdonald
, Fran Morgan
, Jack Pollard
, Michelle Sancho
, Falko F. Sniehotta
, Susan H. Spence
, Paul Stallard
, Jason Stainer

Obioha C. Ukoumunne, Mara Violato, Chloe Williams, Victoria Williamson, Cathy Creswell

^*Corresponding author for this work

University of Oxford, Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry, Oxford, UK, GRID: grid.4991.5, ISNI: 0000 0004 1936 8948
University of Exeter, NIHR ARC South West Peninsula (PenARC), Exeter, UK, GRID: grid.8391.3, ISNI: 0000 0004 1936 8024
University of Reading, Thames Valley Clinical Trials Unit, Reading, UK, GRID: grid.9435.b, ISNI: 0000 0004 0457 9566
Bransgore C Of E Primary School, Ringwood Rd, Bransgore, Christchurch, UK.
University of Oxford, Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry, Oxford, UK, GRID: grid.4991.5, ISNI: 0000 0004 1936 8948; Oxford NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
University of Cambridge and Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK, GRID: grid.5335.0, ISNI: 0000000121885934
University of Oxford, Health Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, Oxford, UK, GRID: grid.4991.5, ISNI: 0000 0004 1936 8948
University of Reading, School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences, Reading, UK, GRID: grid.9435.b, ISNI: 0000 0004 0457 9566
Parents and Carers Together, Suffolk, UK
Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, First Floor, Rear Office, Thatcham.
Square Peg, East Sussex, UK
West Berkshire Council, Council Offices, Market St, Newbury, UK.
Newcastle University, NIHR Policy Research Unit Behavioural Science, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, GRID: grid.1006.7, ISNI: 0000 0001 0462 7212
School of Applied Psychology and Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, GRID: grid.1022.1, ISNI: 0000 0004 0437 5432
University of Bath, Department of Health, Bath, UK, GRID: grid.7340.0, ISNI: 0000 0001 2162 1699
Stanley Primary School, Strathmore Road, London, UK.
University of Oxford, Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry, Oxford, UK, GRID: grid.4991.5, ISNI: 0000 0004 1936 8948; Oxford NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK, GRID: grid.13097.3c, ISNI: 0000 0001 2322 6764

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

16 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: Anxiety disorders are common among primary-school aged children, but few affected children receive evidence-based treatment. Identifying and supporting children who experience anxiety problems through schools would address substantial treatment access barriers that families and school staff often face. We have worked with families and school staff to co-design procedures that incorporate screening, feedback for parents, and the offer of a brief intervention in primary schools. This study sets out to assess the feasibility of a subsequent school-based cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate these procedures. Our objectives are to ensure our procedures for identifying and supporting children with anxiety difficulties through primary schools are acceptable and there are no negative impacts, to estimate recruitment and retention rates, and to identify any changes needed to study procedures or measures. Methods: We will recruit six primary/junior schools in England (2 classes per school), and invite all children (aged 8–9) (n = 360) and their parent/carer and class teacher in participating classes to take part. Children, parents and class teachers will complete questionnaires at baseline and 12-week follow-up. Children who ‘screen positive’ on a 2-item parent-report child anxiety screen at baseline will be the target population (expected n = 43). Parents receive feedback on screening questionnaire responses, and where the child screens positive the family is offered support (OSI: Online Support and Intervention for child anxiety). OSI is a brief, parent-led online intervention, supported by short telephone sessions with a Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner. Participants’ experiences of study procedures will be assessed through qualitative interviews/discussion groups. Discussion: Evidence-based procedures for identifying and supporting children with anxiety difficulties through primary schools would improve children’s access to timely, effective intervention for anxiety difficulties. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN30032471. Retrospectively registered on 18 May 2021.

Original language	English
Article number	176
Number of pages	14
Journal	Pilot and Feasibility Studies
Volume	8
Issue number	1
Early online date	10 Aug 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-01140-x
Publication status	Published - 10 Aug 2022

Bibliographical note

© The Author(s) 2022. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver
(https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Funding: This study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grants for Applied Research (Reference Number: RP-PG-0218-20010). CC was supported by the Oxford and Thames Valley National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration. OU and SB were supported by the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula. AG was partly supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Oxford. MV was partly supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and receives funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Keywords

Study Protocol
Anxiety
Children
Screening
Schools
Identification
Early intervention
Online intervention
Parent-led intervention

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Cite this

Reardon, T., Ball, S., Breen, M., Brown, P., Day, E., Ford, T., Gray, A., Green, I., Hill, C., Jasper, B., King, T., Larkin, M., Macdonald, I., Morgan, F., Pollard, J., Sancho, M., Sniehotta, F. F., Spence, S. H., Stallard, P., ... Creswell, C. (2022). Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools-identification to intervention (iCATS-i2i): protocol for single-arm feasibility trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 8(1), Article 176. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-01140-x

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title = "Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools-identification to intervention (iCATS-i2i): protocol for single-arm feasibility trial",

abstract = "Background: Anxiety disorders are common among primary-school aged children, but few affected children receive evidence-based treatment. Identifying and supporting children who experience anxiety problems through schools would address substantial treatment access barriers that families and school staff often face. We have worked with families and school staff to co-design procedures that incorporate screening, feedback for parents, and the offer of a brief intervention in primary schools. This study sets out to assess the feasibility of a subsequent school-based cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate these procedures. Our objectives are to ensure our procedures for identifying and supporting children with anxiety difficulties through primary schools are acceptable and there are no negative impacts, to estimate recruitment and retention rates, and to identify any changes needed to study procedures or measures. Methods: We will recruit six primary/junior schools in England (2 classes per school), and invite all children (aged 8–9) (n = 360) and their parent/carer and class teacher in participating classes to take part. Children, parents and class teachers will complete questionnaires at baseline and 12-week follow-up. Children who {\textquoteleft}screen positive{\textquoteright} on a 2-item parent-report child anxiety screen at baseline will be the target population (expected n = 43). Parents receive feedback on screening questionnaire responses, and where the child screens positive the family is offered support (OSI: Online Support and Intervention for child anxiety). OSI is a brief, parent-led online intervention, supported by short telephone sessions with a Children{\textquoteright}s Wellbeing Practitioner. Participants{\textquoteright} experiences of study procedures will be assessed through qualitative interviews/discussion groups. Discussion: Evidence-based procedures for identifying and supporting children with anxiety difficulties through primary schools would improve children{\textquoteright}s access to timely, effective intervention for anxiety difficulties. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN30032471. Retrospectively registered on 18 May 2021.",

keywords = "Study Protocol, Anxiety, Children, Screening, Schools, Identification, Early intervention, Online intervention, Parent-led intervention",

author = "Tessa Reardon and Susan Ball and Maria Breen and Paul Brown and Emily Day and Tamsin Ford and Alastair Gray and Iheoma Green and Claire Hill and Bec Jasper and Thomas King and Michael Larkin and Ian Macdonald and Fran Morgan and Jack Pollard and Michelle Sancho and Sniehotta, \{Falko F.\} and Spence, \{Susan H.\} and Paul Stallard and Jason Stainer and Ukoumunne, \{Obioha C.\} and Mara Violato and Chloe Williams and Victoria Williamson and Cathy Creswell",

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Reardon, T, Ball, S, Breen, M, Brown, P, Day, E, Ford, T, Gray, A, Green, I, Hill, C, Jasper, B, King, T, Larkin, M, Macdonald, I, Morgan, F, Pollard, J, Sancho, M, Sniehotta, FF, Spence, SH, Stallard, P, Stainer, J, Ukoumunne, OC, Violato, M, Williams, C, Williamson, V & Creswell, C 2022, 'Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools-identification to intervention (iCATS-i2i): protocol for single-arm feasibility trial', Pilot and Feasibility Studies, vol. 8, no. 1, 176. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-01140-x

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T1 - Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools-identification to intervention (iCATS-i2i): protocol for single-arm feasibility trial

AU - Reardon, Tessa

AU - Ball, Susan

AU - Breen, Maria

AU - Brown, Paul

AU - Day, Emily

AU - Ford, Tamsin

AU - Gray, Alastair

AU - Green, Iheoma

AU - Hill, Claire

AU - Jasper, Bec

AU - King, Thomas

AU - Larkin, Michael

AU - Macdonald, Ian

AU - Morgan, Fran

AU - Pollard, Jack

AU - Sancho, Michelle

AU - Sniehotta, Falko F.

AU - Spence, Susan H.

AU - Stallard, Paul

AU - Stainer, Jason

AU - Ukoumunne, Obioha C.

AU - Violato, Mara

AU - Williams, Chloe

AU - Williamson, Victoria

AU - Creswell, Cathy

N1 - © The Author(s) 2022. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Funding: This study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grants for Applied Research (Reference Number: RP-PG-0218-20010). CC was supported by the Oxford and Thames Valley National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration. OU and SB were supported by the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula. AG was partly supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Oxford. MV was partly supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and receives funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

PY - 2022/8/10

Y1 - 2022/8/10

N2 - Background: Anxiety disorders are common among primary-school aged children, but few affected children receive evidence-based treatment. Identifying and supporting children who experience anxiety problems through schools would address substantial treatment access barriers that families and school staff often face. We have worked with families and school staff to co-design procedures that incorporate screening, feedback for parents, and the offer of a brief intervention in primary schools. This study sets out to assess the feasibility of a subsequent school-based cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate these procedures. Our objectives are to ensure our procedures for identifying and supporting children with anxiety difficulties through primary schools are acceptable and there are no negative impacts, to estimate recruitment and retention rates, and to identify any changes needed to study procedures or measures. Methods: We will recruit six primary/junior schools in England (2 classes per school), and invite all children (aged 8–9) (n = 360) and their parent/carer and class teacher in participating classes to take part. Children, parents and class teachers will complete questionnaires at baseline and 12-week follow-up. Children who ‘screen positive’ on a 2-item parent-report child anxiety screen at baseline will be the target population (expected n = 43). Parents receive feedback on screening questionnaire responses, and where the child screens positive the family is offered support (OSI: Online Support and Intervention for child anxiety). OSI is a brief, parent-led online intervention, supported by short telephone sessions with a Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner. Participants’ experiences of study procedures will be assessed through qualitative interviews/discussion groups. Discussion: Evidence-based procedures for identifying and supporting children with anxiety difficulties through primary schools would improve children’s access to timely, effective intervention for anxiety difficulties. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN30032471. Retrospectively registered on 18 May 2021.

AB - Background: Anxiety disorders are common among primary-school aged children, but few affected children receive evidence-based treatment. Identifying and supporting children who experience anxiety problems through schools would address substantial treatment access barriers that families and school staff often face. We have worked with families and school staff to co-design procedures that incorporate screening, feedback for parents, and the offer of a brief intervention in primary schools. This study sets out to assess the feasibility of a subsequent school-based cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate these procedures. Our objectives are to ensure our procedures for identifying and supporting children with anxiety difficulties through primary schools are acceptable and there are no negative impacts, to estimate recruitment and retention rates, and to identify any changes needed to study procedures or measures. Methods: We will recruit six primary/junior schools in England (2 classes per school), and invite all children (aged 8–9) (n = 360) and their parent/carer and class teacher in participating classes to take part. Children, parents and class teachers will complete questionnaires at baseline and 12-week follow-up. Children who ‘screen positive’ on a 2-item parent-report child anxiety screen at baseline will be the target population (expected n = 43). Parents receive feedback on screening questionnaire responses, and where the child screens positive the family is offered support (OSI: Online Support and Intervention for child anxiety). OSI is a brief, parent-led online intervention, supported by short telephone sessions with a Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner. Participants’ experiences of study procedures will be assessed through qualitative interviews/discussion groups. Discussion: Evidence-based procedures for identifying and supporting children with anxiety difficulties through primary schools would improve children’s access to timely, effective intervention for anxiety difficulties. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN30032471. Retrospectively registered on 18 May 2021.

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KW - Anxiety

KW - Children

KW - Screening

KW - Schools

KW - Identification

KW - Early intervention

KW - Online intervention

KW - Parent-led intervention

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DO - 10.1186/s40814-022-01140-x

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C2 - 35948994

SN - 2055-5784

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JO - Pilot and Feasibility Studies

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IS - 1

M1 - 176

ER -

Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools-identification to intervention (iCATS-i2i): protocol for single-arm feasibility trial

Abstract

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Keywords

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