Can a 'Brave Elephant' program tame childhood anxiety before it starts?
NCT ID NCT07567820
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a program called the Brave Elephant Program, designed to help shy preschoolers (ages 3-6) at risk for anxiety. The program trains teachers and uses classroom activities to build social skills and emotional strength. Researchers will check if the program is practical and seems to help by measuring changes in shyness and emotional behavior in 60 children.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Brave Elephant Program (behavioral intervention with teacher training and classroom activities)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a simple, school-based way to help shy children build confidence and reduce their risk of anxiety disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small study with no control group, so results may not be reliable or generalizable. The program may not reduce anxiety long-term.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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3 to 6 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion criteria: * Children's age between 3 and 6 years * Parents' written informed consent for children's participation in the study. * Children's informed assent to participate in the study. * Parents' ability to read and understand Portuguese. * Early childhood and care professionals' ability to read and understand Portuguese * Early childhood and care professionals' full-time contract for the school year. Exclusion criteria: * Children's developmental disorders * Children's, parents' and early education professionals' are enrolled in another psychological intervention.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Ispa - Instituto Universitário
Lisbon, 1149-041, Portugal
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