1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-8-75-a 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-8-10-4 Attention and Behavior Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Cognitive Deficits and Depressive Symptoms http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 10 1994 01 06 2016 8 10 75 75 Copyright: © 1994 The Author(s) 1994 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Prevention of depressive symptoms in school children

The efficacy of a new program (The Penn Prevention Program) to prevent depressive symptoms and alleviate associated deficits in academic achievement, peer relations, self-esteem, and behavior is reported in 69 ’at risk’ 10-13 year-old children evaluated in the Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

 Depressive Symptoms Academic Achievement Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques

The efficacy of a new program (The Penn Prevention Program) to prevent depressive symptoms and alleviate associated deficits in academic achievement, peer relations, self-esteem, and behavior is reported in 69 ’at risk’ 10-13 year-old children evaluated in the Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Using cognitive-behavioral techniques proactively to teach coping strategies, children at risk of developing depression, based on level of symptoms and perception of parental conflict, showed significant reductions in depressive symptoms and improved classroom behavior. Benefits were sustained at 6-month follow-up, especially in children with higher risk factors, as compared to control groups. [1]

COMMENT. The authors hypothesize that children at risk for depression use skills learned in the Penn Prevention Program to deal with conflict and avoid depressive symptoms precipitated by interpersonal problems. This type of program could be important in children with ADDH and learning problems who are at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms associated with poor self esteem and academic failure.

 Jaycox LH Reivich KJ Gillham J Seligman ME Prevention of depressive symptoms in school children Behav Res Ther 1994 Nov 32 8 801 16 10.1016/0005-7967(94)90160-0 7993324