Correlates of anxiety in psychiatrically hospitalized children and their parents

Article Abstract:

Anxiety is the number one mental health problem in the United States, occurring more frequently than depression and substance abuse among both adults and adolescents. The revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines anxiety as apprehension, tension, or uneasiness stemming from anticipation of danger. Psychiatry specifies several anxiety disorders with onset in childhood, including separation anxiety, phobia, avoidant disorder of childhood and adolescence, and overanxious disorder, which can all overlap. There is much evidence to suggest that adult anxiety progresses from childhood anxiety. Separation anxiety in children is thought to be the root of agoraphobia, a fear of (usually public) situations from which escape would not be easy. A group of 100 children who were admitted to an inpatient child psychiatric center, and their parents, were interviewed with several questionnaires to assess levels of anxiety. The group consisted of 73 boys and 27 girls aged 7 to 12 years. The children who met the criteria for anxiety on both self- and parent-reported questionnaires were considered severely anxious. They were considered possibly anxious if they met the criteria according either to themselves or their parents. Nonanxious children were those who did not meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder diagnosis on either child or parent questionnaires. No differences in age, sex, and socioeconomic status were found among the children. Twenty-one children were severely anxious, 48 children were possibly anxious, and 31 children had no anxiety diagnosis. The severely anxious children had higher rates of negative life events and depression, and significant relationships were found between parents' and children's anxiety levels. The parents of children with anxiety disorders reported more family relations problems. The Personality Inventory for Children found parental discord and disharmony in the families of severely anxious children. Parents of children with severe anxiety had significantly higher hostility scores than the other parents. This suggests that hostile or critical parental attitudes may lead to a child's perception and anticipation of danger, which in turn leads to anxiety. The importance of understanding the influence of family dynamics on the onset of mental disease is highlighted by these results. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Causes of, Anxiety, Parent and child, Parent-child relations, Anxiety in youth

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A community study of anxiety in children and adolescents

Article Abstract:

The prevalence of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents in a community sample of 210 children ages eight, twelve and seventeen who were attending public school. Their mothers were also interviewed at home for the study. The Child Assessment Schedule and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale were given to each child, and the Parents' Child Assessment Schedule was given to each parent. Forty-four children met the criteria for anxiety on the Child Assessment Scale and 29 had anxiety according to the Parents' Child Assessment Schedule. Only ten children were found to have anxiety according to both the Child Assessment and the Parents' Child Assessment Schedules. This is considered to represent poor reporting agreement between parent and child. Girls reported significantly more anxiety than boys. Scores from the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale showed that the 12- and 17-year-olds had significantly fewer physical symptoms of anxiety, but significantly higher rates of social anxiety, than the eight-year-olds. The 17-year-olds had significantly higher worry rates than the other age groups. The anxious 8-year-olds did not have more problems with peers than the nonanxious 8-year-olds, but the anxious 17-year-olds had significantly poorer peer and family relations than the nonanxious and younger groups. Overall, the anxious children had more problems with family, friends and school than the nonanxious children. The anxious and nonanxious children showed similar rates of depression, acting out, and conduct disorder, with the anxious group exhibiting a greater total number of symptoms. The authors suggest early detection and treatment of anxiety in younger children will prevent the obvious progression of symptoms and correlated problems in adolescents. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Anxiety in teenagers

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Developmental perspectives in child and adolescent depressive symptoms in a community sample

Article Abstract:

A sampling of 210 children and adolescents was observed in an attempt to describe depressive symptoms and to identify features that can be used to measure the extent of depression. The children were divided into three age groups ranging from mid-childhood to adolescence: eight, 12 and 17 years old. They were not clinically referred, but were drawn from an average population of public school children. To obtain statistical data, several methods of measurement were employed, including diagnostic interviews and self-assessment, along with instruments which emphasized developmental features. Some common characteristics emerged in every age group which the authors associated with depression, including general pessimism, withdrawal behavior, nightmares, and suicidal thoughts. Of these four general characteristics, some were found to be manifested to a greater extent in some age groups. For example, the eight-year-olds had a greater tendency to be withdrawn and pessimistic. The authors hypothesized that this behavior at this age may lead to retardation of social development. The 12-year-olds had a greater tendency toward pessimism and physical symptoms, while the teenagers more frequently had nightmares in combination with suicidal thoughts. While all age groups scored similarly on the assessment for hopelessness, a general tendency towards depression was found to increase with age. It was hoped that the data gathered regarding the distribution of symptoms, with a focus upon developmental considerations, will provide a preliminary framework for further studies on depression in children and adolescents.

Diagnosis, Child development, Depression in children, Childhood depression, Adolescent psychology

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