Effects of autogenic training and cognitive games in treatment of test anxiety in children and adolescents

This study examined the efficacy of a training in reducing test anxiety and enhancing school-performance and the affective component of the self-concept in 54 children and adolescents. The study was performed as a pre-post-design with an experimental and a waiting-control group. The training consisted of systematically combined strategies to learn to relax (with the help of autogenic training) and to change estimated cognitive achievement (with the help of achievement and concentration games) to demonstrate the efficacy of autogenic training to the children. Training success was apparent as a reduction in test-anxiety - particularly in the emotional component of anxiety - according to parents and children asked independently. The training increased the well-being of children just before test situations. In the affective component of self-concept and school performance no significant training effect was found.