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Symposium

Child and adolescent mental health
Symposium

Symposium 36 - Anxiety and Depression Across the Lifespan: From Early Risk to Evidence-Based Prevention and Intervention

Saturday, June 27, 2026
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM PDT
Location: Yerba Buena Salon 12, B3 Level
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Children, Anxiety, Prevention
Level of Familiarity: Moderate
Recommended Readings: Essau, C. A., Zakaria, S., Ting, C. H., Lee, J. A. C., de la Torre-Luque, A., Ng, A. L. O., … Wahab, S. (2025). Protocol for the process evaluation of a cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a school-based intervention to prevent anxiety and depression in Malaysia: the MyHeRo study. Cogent Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2025.2586814,   Ishikawa, S., Kishida, K., Oka, T. et al. Developing the universal unified prevention program for diverse disorders for school-aged children. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 13, 44 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-019-0303-2,   Kubota C, Yokoyama C, Irino H, Mitamura Y, Okatsu A, Sasagawa S, Kanie A, Nakajima A, Makino M, Aoyama S, Kataoka Y, Horikoshi M, Kuga H, Ito M. Prenatal psychosocial factors and changes in marital satisfaction after childbirth: an online cohort study of pregnant women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025 Nov 17;25(1):1213. doi: 10.1186/s12884-025-08370-w. PMID: 41249991; PMCID: PMC12625624.,   ,  

Anxiety disorders and depression are the most prevalent mental health conditions worldwide. As these disorders often begin early in life and can have lasting effects across the lifespan, identifying early risk factors and effectively disseminating and implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies are critical societal priorities.
This symposium integrates applied research aimed at reducing anxiety and depression and improving the delivery of evidence-based interventions across developmental stages.
The first presentation by Satoko Sasagawa focuses on the perinatal period, examining how prenatal mental health in women influences postnatal parenting competence. Drawing on data from a large longitudinal cohort study of more than 1,700 pregnant women assessed at four time points and followed up to 56 weeks postpartum, this talk will identify prenatal factors that best predict postnatal parenting competence. The role of anxiety and depression in shaping parenting competence, as well as implications for positive parenting and healthy child development, will be discussed.
The second presentation by Shin-ichi Ishikawa addresses the child and adolescent period and presents findings from a universal school-based prevention program, the Universal Unified Prevention Program for Diverse Disorders (Up2-D2). Up2-D2 is a 12-session intervention grounded in cognitive-behavioral and positive psychological principles. This talk will highlight both the current progress and the ongoing challenges associated with universal prevention efforts for child and adolescent mental health in school settings.
The final two presentations present findings from the Promoting Mental Health among At-Risk Adolescents in Malaysia (MyHeRo) study, which focuses on adolescents in secondary schools located in economically disadvantaged rural and urban areas across the Malaysian states of Sarawak, Sabah, and Selangor. This large-scale dissemination study evaluates the effectiveness of Super Skills for Life (SSL), an eight-session, manualized, group-based CBT program designed to strengthen coping skills for anxiety and depression and to promote beneficial health-related behaviors.
Chuong Hock Ting’s presentation focuses on mental health literacy, comparing adolescents’ and adults’ perspectives on mental health, coping strategies, help-seeking behaviors, and intentions to support others. Using qualitative focus group discussions with culturally adapted vignettes, this study identifies key barriers to CBT adaptation and dissemination, including stigma and disparities in awareness and access between urban and rural communities.
Next, Cecilia A. Essau will present preliminary implementation findings from a two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 30 secondary schools. Implementation outcomes are evaluated using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the RE-AIM framework, with broader implications for delivering CBT-based interventions in school contexts.
Finally, Jill Ehrenrich-May will conclude the symposium with an integrative discussion of the presented research and its implications for future research directions and implementation efforts.

Learning Objectives:

  • At the end of this session, the learner will be able to identify key prenatal mental health factors associated with postnatal parenting competence.
  • At the end of this session, the learner will be able to describe core CBT-based components used in a universal school-based prevention for youth.
  • At the end of this session, the learner will be able to recognize contextual and implementation factors affecting CBT delivery in schools.

Presentations:

  • 9:27 AM - 9:48 AM PDT
    (SYM 36) Toward the Next Generation of Universal Prevention in School: Rethinking Cbt-based School Programs for Children's Mental Health

    Speaker: Shin-ichi Ishikawa, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Doshisha University

  • 9:48 AM - 10:09 AM PDT
    (SYM 36) Bridging the Gap: Exploring Mental Literacy Across Generations and Geographies in Sarawak

    Speaker: Chuong Hock Ting, M.D. – Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

    Co-Author: Cecilia A. Essau, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Roehampton

  • 10:09 AM - 10:30 AM PDT
    (SYM 36) Scaling Cognitive-behavioural-based Intervention (Super Skills for Life) in Schools

    Speaker: Cecilia A. Essau, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Roehampton

    Co-Author: Chuong Hock Ting, M.D. – Universiti Malaysia Sarawak