Cool Little Kids
In the ‘Cool Little Kids’ research project, we investigate a parenting program that focuses on the prevention of the development of anxiety problems in young, anxiety-prone children.
Our research
In this research project, we examine:
- The effectiviness on child anxiety problems
- The cost-effectiveness
- The implementation
of the Dutch adapted version of the ‘Cool Little Kids’ (CLK) intervention using a randomized controlled trial. This trial was conducted between 2021 and 2023, involving approximately 200 parents who were followed for one year. Participating parents were allocated either to the CLK intervention or to a control condition consisting of a book with general parenting advice.
In our study, we used a mixed-methods design involving the use of validated parental and children's questionnaires, clinical and qualitative interviews, CLK sessions observations. The research project was conducted under naturalistic conditions, in close collaboration with local public and mental health organizations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague and Leiden, ensuring that our findings reflect everyday practice and can directly be applied in real-world settings.
The studies on the implementation and the effectiveness of the CLK intervention have been completed and will become publicy available soon.
The Cool Little Kids intervention
Cool Little Kids is a parenting intervention that aims to prevent the development of anxiety problems in young, anxiety-prone children. The intervention focuses on parents of behaviorally inhibited children aged 3-6 years, building on the knowledge that these children are at increased risk of developing anxiety problems later in life.
In six sessions, parents of six to eight children (aged 3-6 years) learn about:
- (the risk factors) of anxiety disorders in young children
- the impact of parenting behaviors on their child's anxiety
- how to support and help their child in managing their fears
- how to deal with their own worries.
The original CLK intervention was developed in Australia by Ronald M. Rapee and his colleagues from the Macquarie University in Australia. The original intervention has been extensively studied, with research demonstrating positive effects on reducing anxiety symptoms and lowering the risk of anxiety disorders in young children.
For use in the Netherlands, we have translated the original manual in to Dutch and adapted the delivery format from in-person to a live, online, group-based format in order to enhance accessability.
