ABSTRACT

Background and objectives: Cognitive–behavioral interventions have been shown to be effective treatments for test anxiety. Studies on school-aged populations, however, are lacking. Design and methods: In the present study we evaluated a six-session cognitive–behavioral intervention for test anxiety in a sample of secondary school students aged 14–16 years preparing for high-stakes examinations. Furthermore, we extended outcomes to include school-related wellbeing and clinical anxiety. A screening procedure was used to identify highly test anxious persons who were randomly allocated to intervention or wait-list control groups. Results: Test anxiety showed a large reduction following intervention compared to control group participants who showed a moderate reduction. Clinical anxiety showed a small to moderate reduction following intervention compared to control group participants who showed a negligible reduction. The reduction in clinical anxiety was mediated by concurrent reductions in test anxiety. Conclusion: This supports an integrative network approach that deactivating core aspects of anxiety can deactivate associated networks of anxiety symptoms. The intervention showed no impact on school-related wellbeing which increased at a similar rate for both intervention and control group participants. This is likely because test anxiety is just one contributor of many to school-related wellbeing. Implications for school-based treatments are discussed.

摘要

背景和目标：认知行为干预已被证明是治疗考试焦虑的有效方法。然而，缺乏对学龄人口的研究。设计和方法：在本研究中，我们在准备高风险考试的 14-16 岁中学生样本中评估了针对考试焦虑的六次认知行为干预。此外，我们将结果扩展到包括与学校相关的幸福感和临床焦虑。筛选程序用于识别被随机分配到干预或候补名单控制组的高度测试焦虑的人。结果：与显示适度减少的对照组参与者相比，测试焦虑在干预后显示出大幅减少。与表现出可忽略不计降低的对照组参与者相比，临床焦虑在干预后显示出小到中度降低。临床焦虑的减少是由测试焦虑的同时减少所介导的。结论：这支持一种综合网络方法，即停用焦虑的核心方面可以停用相关的焦虑症状网络。干预显示对学校相关的幸福感没有影响，干预组和对照组参与者的幸福感增加速度相似。这可能是因为考试焦虑只是许多与学校相关的福祉的因素之一。讨论了以学校为基础的治疗的影响。