Tiny heroes: decrease and prevent anxiety problems in young children

Research idea and purposeIn Sweden, there is a lack of evidence-based methods to reduce and prevent young children´s emotional problems, such as worry and anxiety.

In the project, researchers collaborate with clinics and parents to jointly adapt cognitive behavioral therapy to the online intervention Tiny Heroes.

The aim of the project is to develop Tiny Heroes and to assess its preliminary effectiveness.Research questions: ·       What components and modes of delivery are perceived as helpful by clinicians and parents?·       What support or change in clinical routines are needed to implement Tiny Heroes within first-line mental healthcare?·       Is Tiny Heroes preliminary effective in reducing children’s anxiety problems compared to treatment as usual?The next step after the planning project will be to apply for funding to conduct a randomized controlled trial.Workplan, methods and project realisationInternationally, there are a number of treatments with parent-based cognitive behavioral therapy, which have shown good effects for children with anxiety problems.

Based on these, Tiny Heroes will be co-developed and fitted into first-line mental healthcare for young children, to the so-called MALINA clinics within Region Stockholm.In the project, a structured scientific method will be used to adapt parent-based cognitive behavioral therapy to MALINA – the clinics for first-line mental healthcare for young children 0-5-years in Region Stockholm.

After this development phase, Tiny Heroes will be preliminary evaluated in a pilot study.

Societal relevance and utilisationAnxiety problems have increased among children and young people in recent years in Sweden.

Parent-based cognitive behavioral therapy is recommended to help young children with anxiety problems and to prevent future difficulties, but access to cognitive behavioral therapy is very limited for young children and their parents. One way to increase access to cognitive behavioral therapy is to deliver it via the internet.

It enables the intervention to be scaled up, and parents can participate without taking time off from work.

Other advantages are that internet interventions can be easily translated into different languages and that fidelity of the intervention is ensured (patients get the exact intervention that has been evaluated).