Effects of the Super Skills for Life Program on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The transdiagnostic approach has emerged as a promising framework in psychological interventions, with the Super Skills for Life (SSL) program standing out for its role in reducing anxious-depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. This work aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize the effects of SSL on the decrease of symptoms of depression; social, generalized and overall anxiety; and/or emotional problems in youth. Additionally, the stability of these effects over time and the influence of participant- and intervention-related variables were explored. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo and grey literature, and implementers of the program were contacted. A total of 20 documents corresponding to 18 studies were identified, and meta-analytic and meta-regression models were fitted. Within-group symptom reductions were significant from pre- to post-intervention (g = 0.343 - 0.591), and also for most outcomes in comparison with inactive control groups (g = 0.360 - 0.566). No significant changes were observed between post-intervention and follow-up, except for a small but significant improvement in emotional problems (g = 0.165). For this outcome, significantly greater symptom reductions were found in children, compared to adolescents, and in indicated prevention or treatment compared to non-indicated or universal implementation. Individual formats were associated to higher effect sizes than group formats. Despite observed heterogeneity, findings support the effectiveness of SSL compared to inactive controls in reducing anxious-depressive symptoms. Pre-post comparisons also suggest these reductions, which are more pronounced under specific conditions.