title: The FRIENDS emotional health program for minority groups at risk.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the existence of evidence-based interventions for promoting mental health in children, the number of children at risk remains high. One of the reasons is that such interventions are not reaching specific groups at risk such as low socioeconomic status and ethnic minority groups. This study evaluated an adaptation of a school-based psychosocial program for nonreferred students aged 11 to 12 years attending a multicultural school from a low socioeconomic status area.
  
  
  METHODS
  The FRIENDS Program was adapted for a multicultural population. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving a pre/post-test, to evaluate the impact of the intervention on participants' outcomes on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Participants were divided into 2 categories ("at risk"/"not at risk") based on their scores in the SDQ at pre-test. Post-test data were collected to evaluate the overall effectiveness and acceptability of the program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses showed significant improvement for the group initially identified as "at risk," with 30% of the students being no longer at risk after the intervention. Most students rated the intervention as being highly acceptable and useful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adaptations to existing evidence-based programs for implementation with specific minority groups at risk represents a promising approach to promote emotional health in children.
authors.affiliation: PhD Candidate, (cristina.iizuka@uqconnect.edu.au), School of Education, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Qld 4072 Australia.
authors.forename: Cristina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: Paula M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gillies
authors.forename: Clayton R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000458:organization & administration; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012574:Schools; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: mental health; non-English-speaking background; school-based intervention; universal intervention