Informing Early Intervention: Preschool Predictors of Anxiety Disorders in Middle Childhood

PLoS One

Jennifer L. Hudson¹  Helen F. Dodd² 

[1] Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia;School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom

关键词: Anxiety disorders;    Children;    Behavior;    Anxiety;    Parenting behavior;    Research assessment;    Behavioral disorders;    Ethnicities;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.pone.0042359

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Background To inform early intervention practice, the present research examines how child anxiety, behavioural inhibition, maternal overinvolvement, maternal negativity, mother-child attachment and maternal anxiety, as assessed at age four, predict anxiety at age nine. Method 202 children (102 behaviourally inhibited and 100 behaviourally uninhibited) aged 3–4 years were initially recruited and the predictors outlined above were assessed. Diagnostic assessments, using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule, were then conducted five years later. Results Behavioural inhibition, maternal anxiety, and maternal overinvolvement were significant predictors of clinical anxiety, even after controlling for baseline anxiety (p<.05). No significant effect of negativity or attachment security was found over and above baseline anxiety (p>.1). Conclusions Preschool children who show anxiety, are inhibited, have overinvolved mothers and mothers with anxiety disorders are at increased risk for anxiety in middle childhood. These factors can be used to identify suitable participants for early intervention and can be targeted within intervention programs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY