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 anxiet y and enhancing school-performance and the affective component of the self-concept in 54 children and adolescents. The study was performed a s 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 child ren. Training success was apparent as a reduction in test-anxiety - pa rticularly in the emotional component of anxiety - according to parent s and children asked independently. The training increased the well-be ing of children just before test situations. In the affective componen t of self-concept and school performance no significant training effec t was found.