Penn Resilience Programme (UK Implementation in Primary School) is a school-based intervention for primary school children. It is delivered by teachers to groups of 6 to 30 students over 18 one-hour sessions.
The information above is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
9 to 10 years old
Group
Penn Resilience Programme (UK Implementation in Primary School) (PRP) is a school-based intervention for primary school children. There are other versions of the PRP model, including the UK implementation of the PRP in secondary schools and international implementations of the PRP; these versions are treated as separate interventions by Foundations due to different features, such as target age group and intervention duration.
PRP is delivered by teachers, teaching assistants, or learning mentors to groups of 6 to 30 students over 18 one-hour sessions (note that in the evaluation which forms the basis of the Guidebook rating, PRP was delivered for 25 hours). It is taught in school, and lessons are timetabled as part of the normal school day.
PRP aims to teach resilient thinking skills such as generating alternatives, real-time resilience, and assertive communication through the use of scenarios, role-play, and quizzes, using a mix of individual, paired, and group activities. These skills and coping strategies are designed to contribute towards six resilience competencies: emotional intelligence, impulse control, optimistic thinking, flexible and accurate thinking, self-efficacy, and connecting with others.
PRP teachers give examples of skills in use in contexts relevant to the students; one method of achieving this is by providing students with the opportunity to anonymously submit problems to the ‘problem pool’ which is used as a source of example problems for the teacher to work through, providing students opportunity to practise skills in class.
The intervention also teaches coping strategies such as calming and focusing, social skills, overcoming procrastination, problem-solving, and distraction.
Primary school age
Children attending primary school
Disclaimer: The information in this section is as offered/supported by the intervention provider.
Science-based assumption
Primary school is an important stage for social and emotional development.
Science-based assumption
Teaching resilience skills can prevent and reduce mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as improve behaviour, wellbeing, and performance.
Science-based assumption
Primary school children.
Intervention
The PRP (UK Implementation) aims to improve children’s psychological wellbeing and self-efficacy by promoting flexible and accurate thinking, optimism wedded to reality, and impulse control.
Short-term
There is an improvement in pupils’ depression and anxiety symptoms, school attendance rates, and academic attainment levels.
Medium-term
Children and young people become less at risk of issues such as poor attainment, problem behaviour, and drug use.
Long-term
Children can make the most of the opportunities available to them in and beyond school.
Primary school age children.
Penn Resilience Programme (UK Implementation in Primary School) is delivered in 18 sessions of one hours’ duration each by one teacher, teaching assistant, or learning mentor, to groups of 6 to 30 students.
PRP teaches resilient thinking skills and coping strategies through the use of scenarios, role-play, and quizzes, incorporating a mix of individual, paired, and group activities.
The practitioner who delivers this intervention is a teacher, teaching assistant, or learning mentor.
The practitioners have 35 hours of intervention training. Booster training of practitioners is not required.
External supervision of practitioners is not required; however, standard internal line management supervision including the opportunity to discuss teaching the PRP is recommended.
Intervention fidelity is maintained through the following processes:
Contact person: Lucy Bailey
Organisation: Bounce Forward
Email address: info@bounceforward.com
Website: https://bounceforward.com
https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/services/penn-resilience-training
*Please note that this information may not be up to date. In this case, please visit the listed intervention website for up to date contact details.
Penn Resilience Programme (UK Implementation in Primary School)’s most rigorous evidence comes from a quasi-experimental design study which was conducted in the UK.
This study identified statistically significant reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety, consistent with our Level 2 threshold. The intervention has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome, but we cannot be confident that the intervention caused the improvement.
| Identified in search | 6 |
| Studies reviewed | 1 |
| Meeting the L2 threshold | 1 |
| Meeting the L3 threshold | 0 |
| Contributing to the L4 threshold | 0 |
| Ineligible | 5 |
| Study design | QED |
| Country | UK |
| Sample characteristics | Approximately 175 pupils from four schools, aged 9 to 10 at the start of the intervention |
| Race, ethnicities, and nationalities |
|
| Population risk factors | None reported |
| Timing |
|
| Child outcomes |
|
| Other outcomes | None |
| Study rating | 2 |
| Citations | Challen, A. (2012) Short report on the impact of the 2011 Primary UK Penn Resilience Programme in Hertfordshire schools. Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics. |
The following studies were identified for this intervention but did not count towards the intervention’s overall evidence rating. An intervention receives the same rating as its most robust study or studies.
Chaplin, T. M., Gillham, J. E., Reivich, K., Elkon, A. G., Samuels, B., Freres, D. R., … Seligman, M. E. (2006) Depression prevention for early adolescent girls: A pilot study of all girls versus co-ed groups. The Journal of Early Adolescence. 26 (1), 110–126.
Gillham, J. E., Hamilton, J., Freres, D. R., Patton, K. & Gallop, R. (2006) Preventing depression among early adolescents in the primary care setting: A randomized controlled study of the Penn Resiliency Program. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 34 (2), 195–211.
Gillham, J. E., Reivich, K. J., Freres, D. R., Chaplin, T. M., Shatté, A. J., Samuels, B., … Gallop, R. (2007) School-based prevention of depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled study of the effectiveness and specificity of the Penn Resiliency Program. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 75 (1), 9–19.
Gillham, J. E., Reivich, K. J., Freres, D. R., Lascher, M., Litzinger, S., Shatté, A. & Seligman, M. E. (2006) School-based prevention of depression and anxiety symptoms in early adolescence: A pilot of a parent intervention component. School Psychology Quarterly. 21 (3), 323–348.
Kindt, K., Kleinjan, M., Janssens, J. M. & Scholte, R. H. (2014) Evaluation of a school-based depression prevention program among adolescents from low-income areas: A randomized controlled effectiveness trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 11 (5), 5273–5293.
Quayle, D., Dziurawiec, S., Roberts, C., Kane, R. & Ebsworthy, G. (2001) The effect of an optimism and lifeskills program on depressive symptoms in preadolescence. Behaviour Change. 18 (4), 194–203.
Roberts, C. M., Kane, R., Bishop, B., Cross, D., Fenton, J., & Hart, B. (2010) The prevention of anxiety and depression in children from disadvantaged schools. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 48 (1), 68–73.
Rooney, R., Hassan, S., Kane, R., Roberts, C. M. & Nesa, M. (2013) Reducing depression in 9–10 year old children in low SES schools: A longitudinal universal randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 51 (12), 845–854.
Rooney, R., Roberts, C., Kane, R., Pike, L., Winsor, A., White, J. & Brown, A. (2006) The prevention of depression in 8- to 9-year-old children: A pilot study. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling. 16 (1), 76–90.
Tak, Y. R., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Gillham, J. E., Zundert, R. M. & Engels, R. C. (2016) Universal school-based depression prevention ‘Op Volle Kracht’: A longitudinal cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 44 (5), 949–961.
University of Hertfordshire. (2013) The United Kingdom Resilience Programme. The experience of schools in Buckinghamshire: A qualitative research project. School of Education, University of Hertfordshire.
Yu, D. L. & Seligman, M. E. (2002) Preventing depressive symptoms in Chinese children. Prevention & Treatment. 5 (1), 9a.
Note on provider involvement: This provider has agreed to Foundations’ terms of reference (or the Early Intervention Foundation's terms of reference), and the assessment has been conducted and published with the full cooperation of the intervention provider.
Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.
Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.
Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.
Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.
Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.
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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.
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Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.
Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.
Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.
Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.
Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.
Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.
Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.
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