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Abstract
This study sought to examine, for the first time, the efficacy of The Fun FRIENDS program (Barrett, 2007a, b), a school-based, universal preventative intervention program for preschool children. The Fun FRIENDS program aims to teach children cognitive-behavioural strategies in a play-based manner to prevent anxiety and to increase social and emotional strength. Participants were 263 children aged four to six years attending preschool in Brisbane, Australia. Schools were randomly allocated to an intervention group (IG) or a waiting list control group (WLG). Parent report data revealed no significant differences between the IG and WLG on anxiety, behavioural inhibition (BI) and socialemotional strength at post-intervention. At 12-month follow-up, improvements were found on anxiety, BI and social-emotional competence for children in the IG. Teacher reports revealed significant improvements at post-intervention on BI and social-emotional strength for children who had received the program. The implications of these findings are discussed, along with limitations and directions for future research.