Objective: To examine the impact of climate change on children's mental health by comparing the effectiveness of an arts only intervention (ABI) and an arts and philosophy-based intervention (APBI) on children's eco-anxiety, tolerance to distress and hope for the future in school settings. The investigators hypothesized that the children assigned to the combined arts and philosophy intervention would show reductions in self-reported eco-anxiety, as well as increases in tolerance to distress and hope for the future in the context of climate change, when compared to children assigned to the arts-only intervention. Setting: This study is conducted in public primary schools from England. Participants: Participants are students in grades 3 to 6. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome is self-reported eco-anxiety scores. Secondary outcomes are self-reported tolerance to distress, hope for the future and mental health (depression and anxiety symptoms).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
1,000
8 session intervention delivered during school time. Each session involves an art activity with a corresponding philosophical discussion.
A 8 session intervention delivered during school time. Each session involve a creative arts activity.
Reach2 Academy, NorthStar Academy
Henhurst Ridge, Burton-on-Trent, United Kingdom
Eco-anxiety
Self-reported child eco-anxiety Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale Minimum score: 0 Maximum score: 33 Higher scores mean worse outcomes
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Tolerance to distress
Self-reported child tolerance to distress Distress Intolerance Index for Youth Minimum score: 0 Maximum score: 36 Higher scores mean worse outcomes
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Hope
Self-reported child hope 1 item house scale: Thinking about climate change, how hopeful would you say you are that things will get better in the future? Minimum score: 0 Maximum score: 4 Higher score means a better outcome
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Mental health
Self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms Selected items from the anxiety and depression subscales of the Behavior Assessment System for Children-III Minimum score: 0 Maximum score anxiety: 9 Maximum score depression: 15 Higher scores mean a worse outcome
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
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