Super Skills for Life Effectiveness in the Online Modality

NCT05589090 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: DPS.MO.01.17
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the transdiagnostic program Super Skills for Life (SSL). This protocol targets children aged 8 to 12 with emotional problems (anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and lack of social skills). SSL consists of eight sessions targeting common risk factors for internalizing disorders such as cognitive distortions, avoidance, emotional management, low self-esteem, social skills deficits, and coping strategies. The present research focuses on assessing the effectiveness of SSL applied online (through a virtual platform).

Conditions

Depressive Disorder; Depressive Symptoms; Anxiety Disorders; Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms; Mood Disorders; Child Mental Disorder; Emotional Disorder

Keywords

Super Skills for Life; emotional problems; internalizing problems; children; anxiety; depression

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (12)

• Change from baseline depression symptoms to immediately after the intervention

  Measured by the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C; short version), a screening tool for depression in children aged 6-17 years. Children must report their feelings and behaviors over the previous 2 weeks. The sum of all items provides a total measure of depression (score range: 0-26), and the higher this score is, the more severe the symptoms are.

  1 year after the intervention

• Depression symptoms at 1 year

  Measured by the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C; short version), a screening tool for depression in children aged 6-17 years. Children must report their feelings and behaviors over the previous 2 weeks. The sum of all items provides a total measure of depression (score range: 0-26), and the higher this score is, the more severe the symptoms are.

  1 year after the intervention

• Change from baseline parent-reported depression to immediately after the intervention

  Measured by the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-P; short version), a screening tool for depression in children aged 6-17 years. Parents must inform about their children's feelings and behaviors over the previous 2 weeks. The sum of all items provides a total measure of depression (score range: 0-26), and the higher this score is, the more severe the symptoms are.

  baseline and immediately after the intervention

• Parent-reported depression at 1 year

  Measured by the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-P; short version), a screening tool for depression in children aged 6-17 years. Parents must inform about their children's feelings and behaviors over the previous 2 weeks. The sum of all items provides a total measure of depression (score range: 0-26), and the higher this score is, the more severe the symptoms are.

  1 year after the intervention

• Change from baseline children's reported anxiety symptoms to immediately after the intervention

  Measured by Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Child Report (SCAS; short version). SCAS measures symptoms severity of the DSM-IV anxiety disorders in children (subscales: total, panic and agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, separation anxiety, and specific fears). This yields a minimum possible score of 0 and a maximum possible score of 24. Higher scores indicate greater severity of symptoms

  baseline and immediately after the intervention

• Change from baseline parent-reported anxiety symptoms to immediately after the intervention

  Measured by Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Parent Report (SCAS-P; short version). SCAS-P measures symptoms severity of the DSM-IV anxiety disorders in children (subscales: total, panic and agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, separation anxiety, and specific fears). This yields a minimum possible score of 0 and a maximum possible score of 24. Higher scores indicate greater severity of symptoms.

  baseline and immediately after the intervention

• Children's reported anxiety symptoms at 1 year

  Measured by Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Child Report (SCAS; short version). SCAS measures symptoms severity of the DSM-IV anxiety disorders in children (subscales: total, panic and agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, separation anxiety, and specific fears). This yields a minimum possible score of 0 and a maximum possible score of 24. Higher scores indicate greater severity of symptoms

  1 year after the intervention

• Parent-reported anxiety at 1 year

  Measured by Spence Children's Anxiety Scale Parent Report (SCAS-P; short version). SCAS-P measures symptoms severity of the DSM-IV anxiety disorders in children (subscales: total, panic and agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, separation anxiety, and specific fears). This yields a minimum possible score of 0 and a maximum possible score of 24. Higher scores indicate greater severity of symptoms.

  1 year after the intervention

• Change from baseline children's reported psychological adjustment to immediately after the intervention

  Measured by Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Child Report (SDQ). It was designed to measure children's overall difficulties (minimum value 0 and maximum value 40) and positive attributes across five subscales (minimum value 0 and maximum value 10): Emotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression), Conduct problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, Peer relationships (difficulties), and Pro-social behavior. Higher scores indicate higher levels of difficulties, except on the prosocial subscale, where higher scores reflect a more positive attribute.

  baseline and immediately after the intervention

• Change from baseline parent-reported psychological adjustment to immediately after the intervention

  Measured by Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Parental Report (SDQ-P). It was designed to measure children's overall difficulties (minimum value 0 and maximum value 40) and positive attributes across five subscales (minimum value 0 and maximum value 10): Emotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression), Conduct problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, Peer relationships (difficulties), and Pro-social behavior. Higher scores indicate higher levels of difficulties, except on the prosocial subscale, where higher scores reflect a more positive attribute.

  baseline and immediately after the intervention

• Children's reported psychological adjustment at 1 year

  Measured by Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Child Report (SDQ). It was designed to measure children's overall difficulties (minimum value 0 and maximum value 40) and positive attributes across five subscales (minimum value 0 and maximum value 10): Emotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression), Conduct problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, Peer relationships (difficulties), and Pro-social behavior. Higher scores indicate higher levels of difficulties, except on the prosocial subscale, where higher scores reflect a more positive attribute.

  1 year after the intervention

• Parent-reported psychological adjustment at 1 year

  Measured by Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Parental Report (SDQ-P). It was designed to measure children's overall difficulties (minimum value 0 and maximum value 40) and positive attributes across five subscales (minimum value 0 and maximum value 10): Emotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression), Conduct problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, Peer relationships (difficulties), and Pro-social behavior. Higher scores indicate higher levels of difficulties, except on the prosocial subscale, where higher scores reflect a more positive attribute.

  1 year after the intervention

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Change from baseline self-concept to immediately after the intervention

  baseline and immediately after the intervention

• Children's self-concept at 1 year

  1 year after the intervention

• Change from baseline social worries to immediately after the intervention

  baseline and immediately after the intervention

• Children's social worries at 1 year

  1 year after the intervention

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Super Skills for Life intervention

Behavioral: Super Skills for Life program

Wait-list group

NO INTERVENTION

Children in this group did not receive any phycological (public or private) intervention during the eight-week duration of the SSL program. They were informed that children in this group will receive the intervention once the follow-up visit is completed.

Interventions

Super Skills for Life program BEHAVIORAL

Children in the experimental group received eight sessions of the Super Skills for Life protocol. The intervention was implemented using a structured manual for the therapist and a workbook for the children \[Orgilés, M., Espada, J.P., Ollendick, T.H. \& Essau, C. (2022). Programa Super Skills. Manual del aplicador. Elche, ES: Universidad Miguel Hernández\]. The intervention was administered via an online virtual platform for eight weeks, with each session lasting approximately one hour.

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 8 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Children aged 8-12
• Presenting subclinical symptoms of emotional problems (anxiety, depression)
• Speaking, reading, writing, and understanding Spanish.
• Not receiving psychological or pharmacological treatment for emotional and/or behavioral problems

You may not qualify if:

• Had a psychiatric diagnosis already established
• Presenting a severe developmental disorder (intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, etc).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche: lead
• Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

Elche, Alicante, 03202, Spain

Location

Related Publications (18)

• Essau, C. A., & Ollendick, T. H. (2013). The Super Skills for Life Programme. London, Reino Unido: University of Roehampton

  BACKGROUND

• Essau CA, Olaya B, Sasagawa S, Pithia J, Bray D, Ollendick TH. Integrating video-feedback and cognitive preparation, social skills training and behavioural activation in a cognitive behavioural therapy in the treatment of childhood anxiety. J Affect Disord. 2014;167:261-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.05.056. Epub 2014 Jun 4.

  PMID: 24999861 BACKGROUND

• Essau CA, Sasagawa S, Jones G, Fernandes B, Ollendick TH. Evaluating the real-world effectiveness of a cognitive behavior therapy-based transdiagnostic program for emotional problems in children in a regular school setting. J Affect Disord. 2019 Jun 15;253:357-365. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.036. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

  PMID: 31078836 BACKGROUND

• Fernández-Martínez, I., Espada, J. P., & Orgilés, M. (2019). Super Skills for Life: Eficacia de un programa transdiagnóstico de prevención indicada para los problemas emocionales infantiles. Revista de Psicología Clínica con Niños y Adolescentes, 6(3), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.21134/rpcna.2019.06.3.3

  BACKGROUND

• Orgiles M, Fernandez-Martinez I, Espada JP, Morales A. Spanish version of Super Skills for Life: short- and long-term impact of a transdiagnostic prevention protocol targeting childhood anxiety and depression. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2019 Nov;32(6):694-710. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2019.1645836. Epub 2019 Jul 23.

  PMID: 31334667 BACKGROUND

• Fernandez-Martinez I, Morales A, Espada JP, Essau CA, Orgiles M. Effectiveness of the program Super Skills For Life in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in young Spanish children. Psicothema. 2019 Aug;31(3):298-304. doi: 10.7334/psicothema2018.336.

  PMID: 31292045 BACKGROUND

• Fernandez-Martinez I, Orgiles M, Morales A, Espada JP, Essau CA. One-Year follow-up effects of a cognitive behavior therapy-based transdiagnostic program for emotional problems in young children: A school-based cluster-randomized controlled trial. J Affect Disord. 2020 Feb 1;262:258-266. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.11.002. Epub 2019 Nov 4.

  PMID: 31733917 BACKGROUND

• Diego-Castaño, S., Prieto-Moya, J., Hermosín, N., & Orgilés, M. (2019). Eficacia del programa Super Skills en población clínica: un estudio piloto. 5 Congreso International de Psicología Clinica y Salud con Niños y Adolescentes, Oviedo, Spain. ISSN: 2695-4664

  BACKGROUND

• Melero, S., Morales, A., & Orgilés, M. (2019, noviembre). Eficacia de la aplicación individual del programa Super Skills for Life para reducir síntomas emocionales en menores. 5 Congreso International de Psicología Clinica y Salud con Niños y Adolescentes, Oviedo, Spain. ISSN: 2695-4664

  BACKGROUND

• Fernandez-Martinez I, Morales A, Espada JP, Orgiles M. Effects of Super Skills for Life on the social skills of anxious children through video analysis. Psicothema. 2020 May;32(2):229-236. doi: 10.7334/psicothema2019.240.

  PMID: 32249749 BACKGROUND

• Orgiles M, Melero S, Fernandez-Martinez I, Espada JP, Morales A. Effectiveness of Video-Feedback with Cognitive Preparation in Improving Social Performance and Anxiety through Super Skills for Life Programme Implemented in a School Setting. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Apr 18;17(8):2805. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17082805.

  PMID: 32325756 BACKGROUND

• Orgilés, M., Garrigós, E., Espada, J. P., & Morales, A. (2020). How does a CBT-based transdiagnostic program for separation anxiety symptoms work in children?: Effects of Super Skills for Life. Revista de Psicología Clínica con Niños y Adolescentes, 7(2), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.21134/rpcna.2020.07.2.1

  BACKGROUND

• Orgilés, M., Espada, J. P, & Morales, A. (2020). How Super Skills for Life may help children to cope with the COVID-19: Psychological impact and coping styles after the program. Revista de Psicología Clínica con Niños y Adolescentes, 7(3), 88-93. https://doi.org/10.21134/rpcna.2020.mon.2048

  BACKGROUND

• Melero, S., Orgilés, M., Fernández-Martínez, I., Espada, J. P., & Morales, A. (2021). Influence of implementation fidelity on the effectiveness of a CBT programme targeted emotional problems in childhood. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 68, 100975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.100975

  BACKGROUND

• Fernandez-Martinez I, Orgiles M, Espada JP, Essau CA, Morales A. Effects as a function of implementation fidelity of a transdiagnostic prevention program in young school-aged children. Eval Program Plann. 2021 Dec;89:102011. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2021.102011. Epub 2021 Sep 16.

  PMID: 34562670 BACKGROUND

• Melero S, Morales A, Espada JP, Orgiles M. Improving Social Performance Through Video-feedback with Cognitive Preparation in Children with Emotional Problems. Behav Modif. 2022 Jul;46(4):755-781. doi: 10.1177/0145445521991098. Epub 2021 Jan 29.

  PMID: 33511861 BACKGROUND

• Melero S, Orgiles M, Espada JP, Morales A. Spanish version of Super Skills for Life in individual modality: Improvement of children's emotional well-being from a transdiagnostic approach. J Clin Psychol. 2021 Oct;77(10):2187-2202. doi: 10.1002/jclp.23148. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

  PMID: 33882156 BACKGROUND

• Melero S, Morales A, Espada JP, Mendez X, Orgiles M. Effectiveness of Group vs. Individual Therapy to Decrease Peer Problems and Increase Prosociality in Children. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 9;18(8):3950. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18083950.

  PMID: 33918640 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Website of the Super Skills for Life program in Spanish version
• Website of the Super Skills for Life program online in Spanish version
• Description University of Roehampton research for Super Skills for Life program

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depressive Disorder; Depression; Anxiety Disorders; Mood Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Silvia Melero, PhD

  Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Mireia Orgilés, Professor

  Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• José Pedro Espada, Professor

  Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Director

Model Details: Study participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The control group did not receive any intervention during the eight-week duration of the program. However, both groups underwent pretest and posttest assessments. Children assigned to the control group will receive the intervention after the 12-month follow-up assessment.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 17, 2022
• First Posted: October 21, 2022
• Study Start: October 1, 2017
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2022
• Study Completion: December 1, 2022
• Last Updated: May 10, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Starting after finishing all analysis and publication
• Access Criteria: Upon request and verification by the principal investigator to consult the available data. The use of the data for distribution in any format is not permitted.

Locations

ES (1)