ArticleBMC psychology2021
Study protocol of a factorial trial ECHO: optimizing a group-based school intervention for children with emotional problems.
Article in BMC psychology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Promoting mental health in children and adolescents through digital technology: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Relationships between parental factors and child anxiety and depressive symptoms in an indicated preventive intervention.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Dose-Response Effects of MittEcho, a Measurement Feedback System, in an Indicated Mental Health Intervention for Children in Municipal and School Services in Norway.Administration and policy in mental health · 2025Trial
- Cost-effectiveness analysis of preventive strategies for child anxiety and depression: a health service perspective.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- Parental Involvement in Child Anxiety and Depression: Exploring the Impact of Delivery Format on Modifiable Parental Factors.Child psychiatry and human development · 2025Article
- Identifying students of concern. Primary school teachers' reflections on assessing students' general school functioning based on the concept of typicality.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Does dose matter? Parental attendance in a preventive intervention for anxious and sad children.BMC psychology · 2024Article
- School children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Making high-quality measures available in diverse contexts-The psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in a Norwegian sample.International journal of methods in psychiatric research · 2022Article
- Inside the Clockwork of the ECHO Factorial Trial: A Conceptual Model With Proposed Mediators for Prevention of Emotional Problems in Children.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundYouth mental health problems are a major public health concern. Anxiety and depression are among the most common psychological difficulties. The aim of this study is to evaluate an optimized version of a promising indicated group intervention for emotional problems. The program (EMOTION Coping Kids Managing Anxiety and Depression) targets school children 8-12 years with anxious and depressive symptoms and examines three factors. Factor 1 compares the standard EMOTION intervention delivered in 16 group-based sessions (Group), versus a partially-digital EMOTION intervention (DIGGI) delivered as eight group sessions and eight digital sessions. Both versions use virtual reality technology (VR) to improve behavioral experiments. Factor 2 compares parent participation in a 5-session parent group (high involvement) versus sharing information with parents via a brochure (low involvement). Factor 3 compares the use of a measurement and feedback system (MFS) designed to help group leaders tailor the intervention using feedback from children with no MFS.
methodsUsing a cluster-randomized factorial design, 40 schools across Norway will be randomized to eight different experimental conditions based on three, two-level factors. To assess internalizing symptoms in children, children and their parents will be given self-report questionnaires pre-, post-, and one year after intervention. Parents also report on demographics, user satisfaction, personal symptoms and perception of family related factors. Teachers report on child symptoms and school functioning. Group leaders and the head of the municipal services report on implementation issues. The primary outcomes are changes in depressive and anxious symptoms. Some secondary outcomes are changes in self-esteem, quality of life, and user satisfaction. Questions regarding the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are included. Treatment fidelity is based on checklists from group leaders, and on user data from the participating children. DISCUSSION: This study is a collaboration between three regional centers for child and adolescent mental health in Norway. It will provide knowledge about: (1) the effect of school-based preventive interventions on anxiety and depression in children; (2) the effect of feedback informed health systems, (3) the effect and cost of digital health interventions for children, and (4) the effect of parental involvement.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.