A School-Based Evaluation of the FRIENDS Resilience Programs: Implications for Mental Health Concerns in Rural Students

The FRIENDS Resilience programs provide cognitive-behavioral skills across the developmental spectrum and can be applied as a universal or selective prevention program. In the current study, we assessed whether, relative to the schools’ existing counseling curriculum (“guidance”), FRIENDS improved social skills, problem behaviors, and academic competence in a sample of 650 students in kindergarten, 2nd, 5th, and 7th grade in a rural community in the northeastern United States. Student, parent, and teacher reports were obtained pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 4 months later. Analyses examined FRIENDS as a universal prevention program in the general school population and as a selective intervention for at-risk students (those with elevated existing symptoms). Teachers reported improvements in social skills, problem behaviors, and academic competence, and parents reported improved problem behaviors immediately post-intervention for all students receiving FRIENDS and guidance. However, at-risk students who received FRIENDS experienced significantly greater improvements in teacher-reported problem behaviors compared to those who received guidance. When assessing changes over time once all students had received FRIENDS, teacher-rated social skills and academic competence improved, and student- and parent-rated problem behaviors decreased from pre- to post-FRIENDS and 4-month follow-up. Effects were consistent for the overall sample and at-risk students, with stronger effects for those at-risk. These small yet significant effects of FRIENDS as universal prevention may be more limited relative to usual guidance curriculum, but preventative effects may be enhanced for those students in more immediate need of support. Directions for future evaluation of FRIENDS are discussed.