UQ researchers seek anxious children

Children with anxiety problems are needed to participate in a University of Queensland study.

Researchers within UQ’s School of Psychology are studying the effectiveness of different modes of therapy delivery for anxious children.

“The majority of children experience various fears throughout their childhood,” said Joyce Leong, who is completing the research with Jules deGroot as part of their postgraduate studies in UQ’s School of Psychology.

“In fact, anxiety is the most common psychological complaint reported by both children and adolescents.

“It can affect how they handle situations, relate to others and may even stop them doing things they’d like to do.”

Participants must be 7–14 years old and have experienced problems such as being constantly worried or anxious, feeling shy, insecure or being afraid of people or particular situations.

The majority of families will be offered a place in the treatment program immediately. The remainder will be placed on a waiting list and will be assigned to a program within a three-month period.

The treatment will involve either weekly face-to-face therapy sessions for 12-weeks or parents will receive training to conduct weekly sessions at home with professional support via fortnightly telephone conversations.

Families will be charged $100 for participation in the program. This includes the initial assessment, 12 therapy sessions, child and parent workbooks, and the cost of materials and implementation.

People interested in participating should telephone 07 3030 8361.

Media: For further information, contact Joyce Leong or Jules deGroot (telephone 07 3030 8361, email joyce@psy.uq.edu.au or degroot@psy.uq.edu.au) or Joanne van Zeeland at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2619).