Preliminary perceived intervention changes and engagement in an evidence-based program targeted at behavioral inhibition during early childhood, delivered in-person and online.

Introduction: Behavioral inhibition during early childhood is one of the strongest risk factors for the development of later anxiety disorders. Recently developed in-person interventions that target both young children who are highly inhibited and their parents (e.g., the Method: Fifty-seven parents of highly inhibited preschoolers (3-5 years), with no diagnosis of selective mutism or developmental disorders, who were randomly allocated to waiting-list ( Results: Independent of intervention mode of delivery, generalized equation estimates revealed a reduction in children's total anxiety symptoms and an improvement in parental nurturing behaviors. Child anxiety and social competence at pre-assessment were the most prominent predictors of session attendance and satisfaction with post-intervention child and parenting outcomes. Discussion: Overall, this study showed that parents in both intervention conditions perceived comparable positive changes in child functioning from pre- to post-intervention assessment and similar levels of session attendance, homework completion, and satisfaction. Significantly, however, perceived satisfaction with post-intervention child and parenting outcomes was higher, when children were reported to display higher SEL skills at baseline, independent of the intervention mode of delivery.