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Background: Super Skills for Life is a structured intervention rooted in cognitive-behavioral therapy and a transdiagnostic approach, aimed at preventing childhood emotional problems. Over the past decade, it has demonstrated positive outcomes in various formats and countries. This study evaluated the comparative effectiveness of two individual modalities: the computerized and the traditional version enriched with multimedia content, through a comparative randomized effectiveness trial., Method: 109 children (55.24 % female) aged 8-12 years participated, randomly assigned to either the traditional (n = 54) or computerized (n = 51) groups. Pre- and post-intervention assessments involved emotional problem measures completed by children and parents., Results: Both groups exhibited significant reductions in all outcomes according to parent reports, including depression, anxiety, and anxiety-related life interference. Children's self-reports indicated improvements across all general measures. Generalized Estimating Equations indicated marginally better improvements in the traditional group., Limitations: Limitations included the absence of follow-up assessment, variability in participant regions across Spain, and input from other informants like teachers., Conclusions: This study pioneers the examination of short-term effects of the program in both a fully computerized format supervised by a specialized therapist and an enriched traditional individual format, and the promising results suggest their potential for indicated prevention of childhood emotional problems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a CBT-transdiagnostic group intervention currently being translated and validated in multiple countries. In Spanish children, it has shown a positive impact on anxious and depressive symptoms, as well as other variables such as self-concept, prosocial behaviors, or behavioral problems. However, the effectiveness of the program to treat internalizing symptoms in children with a mental disorder in a clinical setting has not been examined so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of SSL in a Spanish sample of children with a major internalizing disorder. Participants aged 8-12 years (71.6% boys) were randomly allocated to the SSL group (n = 43) or the waiting list control (WLC) group (n = 43). All children and their parents completed a series of measures before the first session and after the last session or at about the same time in the WLC group. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using generalized estimating equations. Significant reductions from pretest to posttest across multiple outcomes were found in children who participated in SSL group compared to those in the WLC group, including anxiety symptoms (SCAS, p = .02), anxiety interference (CALIS, p = .002), depressive symptoms (CDI, p = .033) and remission from diagnosis (K-SADS, p < .001). This study provides initial support for SSL as an effective treatment for children with emotional disorders in clinical settings. Future studies are needed to analyze long-term effects and broader benefits of the program in clinical contexts., (Copyright © 2023 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Comorbidity between anxiety and depression symptoms is often high in children. Person-oriented statistical approaches are useful to detect heterogeneity of individuals and diverse patterns of response to treatment. This study aimed to explore the different profiles in a sample of Spanish children who received the Super Skills for Life (SSL) transdiagnostic program, to identify which profile of individuals benefited most from the intervention and the likelihood of transition of symptom patterns over time. Participants were 119 children (42.9% were female) aged 8-12 years old ( M = 9.39; SD = 1.26). Children completed anxiety and depression measures at the baseline, postintervention, and 12-months follow-up. Results from latent transition analysis (LTA) revealed two groups depending on the severity of the anxiety and depression symptoms: low symptoms (LS) and high symptoms (HS). LS group remained stable and HS decreased by 25%, switching to the LS group. Children with greater social anxiety benefited most from the program over time. Furthermore, older children were more likely to improve rapidly one year after the intervention compared to younger children. This study provides information to consider when implementing preventive interventions for schoolchildren and to tailor them according to the target population characteristics to increase their effectiveness.

Anxious children report a more negative perception of their social performance and increased nervous behaviors. The video-feedback with cognitive preparation allows children to contrast and modify their negative social self-image, increasing their self-confidence and decreasing anxiety behaviors. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Super Skills for Life (SSL) program in improving social performance in a sample of children with emotional symptoms. Results indicated that both objective and subjective evaluation showed positive effects of the SSL program on the children's social performance, enhancing their social skills and reducing anxiety behaviors in social situations, both during the program and in the last session. Girls felt more comfortable and showed better speech and social performance than boys. Our findings increase the evidence about the short-term effects of the video-feedback with cognitive preparation of the SSL program and provide a useful transdiagnostic protocol for application in the clinical setting.

Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic prevention program for school-aged children with internalizing problems. The current study aimed to examine the short- and long-term (12-month follow-up) effectiveness of SSL, depending on implementation fidelity. Participants were 123 Spanish-speaking children aged 6-8 years with internalizing symptoms and their parents. High (n = 41) and low fidelity (n = 26) groups were established and compared with a control group (CG) (n = 56). Compared to CG, the high-fidelity group (HFG) achieved better outcomes than the low-fidelity group (LFG) at short and long term, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, and internalizing problems, and also externalizing problems at long-term. The LFG improved key symptoms at short term (depression) and long term (anxiety and depression). Findings suggest that SSL is beneficial even if not delivered at maximum fidelity, although considering the influence of implementation fidelity is critical because the high-fidelity implementation yielded the greatest effects when compared to the CG. This research provides valuable data, analyzing for the first time the influence of fidelity on SSL outcomes in young school-aged children exhibiting internalizing symptoms, while there is still a lack of studies of these characteristics concerning transdiagnostic prevention programs targeting childhood anxiety and depression., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Depression is a common and impairing disorder which is a serious public health problem. For some individuals, depression has a chronic course and is recurrent, particularly when its onset is during adolescence. The purpose of the current paper was to review the clinical trials conducted between 1980 and 2020 in adolescents with a primary diagnosis of a depressive disorder, excluding indicated prevention trials for depressive symptomatology. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the pre-eminent treatment and is well established from an evidence-based treatment perspective. The body of research on the remaining treatments is smaller and the status of these treatments is varied: interpersonal therapy (IPT) is well established; family therapy (FT) is possibly effective; and short-term psychoanalytic therapy (PT) is experimental treatment. Implementation of the two treatments that work well-CBT and IPT-has more support when provided individually as compared to in groups. Research on depression treatments has been expanding through using transdiagnostic and modular protocols, implementation through information and communication technologies, and indicated prevention programs. Despite significant progress, however, questions remain regarding the rate of non-response to treatment, the fading of specific treatment effects over time, and the contribution of parental involvement in therapy.

Emotional difficulties in children are often shown to be associated with peer problems and low prosocial behaviors. Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic protocol for the prevention of emotional problems in children and has also obtained improvements of other comorbid symptoms. This study aimed at comparing the effects of SSL in reducing peer problems and increasing prosocial behaviors in children aged 8 to 12 years between the group and the individual modalities. For this purpose, 140 children (35% girls) received the program, 70 in group format and 70 in individual format, and were evaluated at the baseline, posttest, and after one year. Both modalities were effective in enhancing social relationships in children, although the individual modality showed more promising results. Children belonging to the individual modality group presented fewer peer problems (less social isolation and rejection, greater social acceptance, more friends) and greater prosocial behaviors (helping, empathy, kindness, and sharing) compared to children receiving the therapy in group modality, both in the short and in the long term. In conclusion, this study provides evidence of SSL protocol efficacy for improving children's peer relationships and prosocial behaviors and encourages the implementation of transdiagnostic interventions in both clinical and educational settings.

Effectiveness of video-feedback with cognitive preparation to treat anxiety problems (especially social anxiety) has been scarcely explored on children. Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a CBT-based intervention to reduce anxiety and comorbid problems that, apart from social skills training and behavioural activation, integrates video-feedback with cognitive preparation. This study aimed to evaluate SSL effects, implemented in a school setting, on social performance and to test self-concept and social skills as potential mediators of pre- and post-test changes in social anxiety and generalized anxiety. Sample comprised 57 children aged 8-11 years with emotional symptoms. Children were video recorded in the first and last session to assess social performance. Anxiety and self-concept measures were completed by children pre-test and post-test. Participants reduced anxiety behaviours and improved social and communication skills after treatment. In general, girls showed better social performance than boys, but SSL impact was greater in males. Social self-concept was the only mediator of change in pre- to post-treatment social anxiety. This study provides evidence of SSL to improve children's social performance and reduce anxiety through video-feedback with cognitive preparation. Improving social concept seems essential to reduce social anxiety. An SSL programme is an ideal prevention protocol for anxious children.

Background: The present study examined the long-term efficacy of a transdiagnostic prevention program, Super Skills for Life (SSL), among young children with emotional problems. SSL is based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral activation, and social skills training., Methods: One-hundred and twenty-three Spanish-speaking children, aged 6 to 8 years, and their parents participated in the study. They were recruited from ten schools. Schools were randomly allocated to either the intervention (IG) or waiting-list control (WLC) groups. The children's parent completed a set of questionnaires to measure their child's anxiety and depressive symptoms, general difficulties and positive attributes, and psychosocial impairment. Parent's assessment at baseline and at a 12-month follow-up was assessed using an intent-to-treat approach., Results: The IG, compared to WLC group, showed significant baseline-to-follow-up reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as in behavioral difficulties and psychosocial impairment in various life domains., Limitations: The small sample size and the reliance on parental reports were the major limitations of this study., Conclusions: This study provides initial evidence of the long-term effects of SSL, suggesting that it is a promising indicated preventive intervention for young children with emotional problems., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background and Objectives: Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic protocol based on cognitive-behavioral therapy designed for children with internalizing problems. The present study examined for the first time the impact of the Spanish-adapted version of SSL in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in Spanish-speaking children. Design: A quasi-experimental design with one group, pre- and posttest, and 1-year follow-up was conducted. Analyses were performed on an intent-to-treat basis. Methods: Participants were 119 children (42.9% female; 8-12 years) recruited from nine schools. Children completed assessments of anxiety, depression, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and the extent to which anxiety interfered with life before and after receiving the 8-session SSL, and 12-months post-intervention. Results: Anxiety and depressive symptoms were significantly reduced at post-test and 12-month follow-up assessments. SSL also had positive impact on other symptoms assessed (e.g., interference of anxiety with children's life, peer problems, conduct problems). Overall, the long-term benefits of SSL appeared to be greater than the short-term benefits. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that SSL may be useful in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, and a broad range of other issues, in Spanish children.

Background: Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic prevention program designed for children with anxiety and depressive symptoms based on cognitive-behavioral therapy. This study is a trial of the efficacy of the SSL program to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in a representative sample of Spanish children aged 6 to 8., Method: This cluster randomized controlled trial involved 123 Spanish-speaking children recruited from 10 schools. Schools were the unit of randomization, and were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: intervention group (SSL) and waiting list control (WLC) group. Assessments were conducted before and after the 8-week intervention., Results: Generalized estimating equations showed that, compared with WLC, the intervention significantly reduced emotional symptoms of anxiety and depression. Significant improvements were also found in specific symptoms of anxiety disorders, and in the interference of anxiety in the child´s life., Conclusions: The findings of this study provide initial support for the immediate effects of SSL, suggesting that it is a valuable resource for the early reduction of anxiety and depressive symptoms in young Spanish-speaking children.