title: Exploring the longitudinal association between interventions to support the transition to secondary school and child anxiety.
abstract: School transition at around 11-years of age can be anxiety-provoking for children, particularly those with special educational needs (SEN). The present study adopted a longitudinal design to consider how existing transition strategies, categorized into cognitive, behavioral or systemic approaches, were associated with post-transition anxiety amongst 532 typically developing children and 89 children with SEN. Multiple regression analysis indicated that amongst typically developing pupils, systemic interventions were associated with lower school anxiety but not generalized anxiety, when controlling for prior anxiety. Results for children with SEN differed significantly, as illustrated by a Group × Intervention type interaction. Specifically, systemic strategies were associated with lower school anxiety amongst typically developing children and higher school anxiety amongst children with SEN. These findings highlight strategies that schools may find useful in supporting typically developing children over the transition period, whilst suggesting that children with SEN might need a more personalized approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK. Electronic address: sinead.neal@southwark.gov.uk.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK; Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ng-Knight
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK; Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Riglin
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Frederickson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012572:School Health Services; D012574:Schools; D012917:Social Adjustment
keywords: Anxiety; Intervention; Primary/elementary school; Secondary transfer/transition; Secondary/middle/junior high school; Special educational needs