Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Keywords

Anxiety disorders--Treatment, Human behavior models; School children--Mental health services;

Abstract

Anxiety disorders constitute the largest class of childhood psychological illnesses with prevalence rates ranging between 12 and 20% of the yearly population (Chu & Harrison, 2007). Childhood anxiety can interrupt education (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000), cause problems making friends (Strauss, 1990), make social situations at school uncomfortable (Simon & Bogels, 2009), cause behavior problems, and impair social relationships (Strauss, 1990). However, most of the current treatments are very time-intensive, involve professional training to administer, and require several sessions before any changes are noticed. Video self-modeling is an intervention that is rapidly gaining attention and credibility in the school systems. Video self-modeling uses the individual as their own model and shows the individual that they are capable of completing the task, behavior, or skill (Bellini, Akullian & Hopf, 2007). The videos are edited to remove any unwanted behaviors or extra help the child may need to accomplish the task. Currently, video self-modeling has been proven to be an effective intervention for decreasing depression, reducing public speaking anxiety, reducing phobias, increasing positively viewed behavior and decreasing disruptive behavior (Madaus & Ruberto, 2012). In addition, video self-modeling has been found effective for use with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Bellini et al., 2007). There are several studies that suggest that video self-modeling may also be an effective intervention to use with children with anxiety (Houlihan, Miltenberger, Trench, Larson & Larson, 1995). This study expected to expand the research base on the effectiveness of video self-modeling as a treatment for childhood anxiety. The two main questions this study expects to answer are: (1) Can video self-modeling be used as an effective treatment for childhood anxiety, and (2) Is video self-modeling an intervention that can realistically be administered in the school systems. This study intended to utilize a single case study design. Thus, it was planned that only one participant between the ages of eight and 12 would be involved. The participant was meant to complete the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children 2nd Edition (MASC-2) prior to receiving the video self-modeling intervention and after the completion of the intervention to assess the level of anxiety the student was feeling. At the end of the study, percent non-overlapping data was going to be used to analyze the results. However, due to numerous obstacles, the study could not be carried out as originally intended. The obstacles faced by this researcher have been faced by other researchers in the past, and will continue to affect future research projects. Delays in data collection, difficulty recruiting participants, and uncooperative individuals can cause significant problems when conducting research in a natural setting. Although these delays affected this research project, valuable information about the experience can be used to help future researchers plan to face these obstacles.

Year of Submission

2014

Degree Name

Specialist in Education

Department

Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations

First Advisor

Nicole Skaar

Date Original

2014

Object Description

1 PDF file (viii, 91 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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