Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-dvtzq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-11T18:24:52.635Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Anxiety in Children — The Importance of the Anxiety Sensitivity Factor

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2016

Barbara Jones  and
Erica Frydenberg
Barbara Jones*
Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Erica Frydenberg
Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne, Australia
*
Department of Learning and Educational Development, Faculty of Education, Queensbury Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia. Email: b.jones@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

Anxiety sensitivity, the fear of anxiety-related bodily sensations, is a recently ldentified construct, which has become part of the conceptualisation of anxiety. Evidence in the research literature suggests that adults who have a high level of anxiety sensitivity combined with a high level of the more traditionally recognised trait anxiety reported a significantly higher incidence of anxiety disorders. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a high level of both anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety in children results in more anxiety symptoms and therefore may be a risk factor for developing anxiety disorders. Anxiety sensitivity, trait anxiety and anxiety symptoms were examined in a sample of 455 primary school children in Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 at schools in metropolitan, regional and country areas of Victoria, Australia. Results revealed that children who reported high anxiety sensitivity together with high trait anxiety experienced significantly more anxiety symptoms than other children. Significant gender and age differences were also found in relation to anxiety sensitivity, trait anxiety and anxiety symptoms. Anxiety disorders are debilitating and interfere with normal development. If children with a predisposition to developing anxiety disorders could be identified as those who report high anxiety sensitivity together with high trait anxiety then early intervention could prevent the onset of anxiety disorders in adolescence or adulthood.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , December 2003 , pp. 145 - 158
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Amundson, G.J.G., Norton, G.R., Lanthier, N.J., & Cox, B.J. (1996). Fear of anxiety: Do current measures assess unique aspects of the construct? Personality and Individual Differences, 20(5), 607–612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, J.C. (1994). Epidemiological issues. In Ollendick, T.H., King, N.J. & Yule, W. (Ed.), International handbook of phobic and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (pp. 43–66). New York: Plenum Press Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dacey, J.S., & Fiore, L.B. (2000). Your anxious child: How parents and teachers can relieve anxiety in children. California: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers.Google Scholar
Eisen, A.R., & Silverman, W.K. (1998). Prescriptive treatment for generalised anxiety disorder in children. Behaivour Therapy, 29, 105–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferguson, D.M., Horwood, L.J., & Lynskey, M.T. (1993). Prevalence and comorbidity of DSM — 111-R diagnoses in a birth cohort of 15 year olds. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 1127–1134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foncesca, A.C., & Perrin, S., (2001). Clinical phenomenology, classification and assessment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. In Silverman, W.K. & Treffers, P.D.A. (Eds.), Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, research, assessment and intervention (pp. 126–158). United Kingdom: Cambridge Press, Publishers.Google Scholar
Kearney, C.A., Albano, A.M., Eisen, A.R., Allan, W.D., & Barlow, D.H.. (1997). The phenomenology of panic disorder in youngsters: An empirical study of a clinical sample. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 11, 49–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovacs, M., Gatsonia, C., Paulauskas, S.L., & Richards, C. (1989) Depressive disorders in childhood: IV: a longitudinal study of comorbidity with the risk for anxiety disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 46, 776–783.Google Scholar
Lau, J.J., Calmari, J.E., & Waraczynski, M. (1996). Panic attack symptomatology and anxiety sensitivity in adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 10, 355–364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNally, R.J. (1999). Theoretical approaches to the fear of anxiety. In Taylor, S. (Ed.), Anxiety sensitivity theory, research and treatment of the fear of anxiety (pp. 3–16). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Publishers.Google Scholar
March, J.S. (1995). (Ed.). Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. New York: Guilford Press Publications.Google ScholarPubMed
Mattison, R.E. (1992) Anxiety disorders. In Hooper, S.R., Jynd, G.W. & Mattison, R.E. (Eds.), Child psychopathology: diagnostic criteria and clinical assessment (pp. 179–202). Hillsdale, N.J.Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.Google Scholar
Ollendick, T.H. (1995). Cognitive behavioural treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia in adolescents: A multiple baseline design analysis. Behaviour Therapy, 26, 517–531.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peterson, R.A. & Reiss, S. (1987). Test manual for the anxiety sensitivity index. Orland Park, IL: International Diagnostic Systems Publications.Google Scholar
Rabin, B., Peterson, R.A., Richters, J., & Jensen, P.S. (1993). Anxiety sensitivity among anxious children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 22, 441–446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rachman, S. (1998). Anxiety. United Kingdom: Psychology Press Ltd. Publishers.Google Scholar
Rapee, R.M., Ancis, J.R., & Barlow, D.H. (1988). Emotional reactions to physiological sensations: panic disorder patients and non-clinical subjects. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 26, 265–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rapee, R., & Barlow, D.H. (1993). Generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder and the phobias. In Sutker, P.B. & Adams, H.E. (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychopathology (2nd ed., pp. 109–127). New York: Plenum Press Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rapee, R.M., Wignall, A., Hudson, J.L., & Schniering, C.A. (2000). Treating anxious children and adolescents: An evidence-based approach. Oakland. CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.Google Scholar
Reiss, S., & McNally, R.J. (1985). The expectancy model of fear. In Reiss, S. & Botzin, R.R. (Eds.), Theoretical issues in behaviour therapy (pp. 101–121). New York: Academic Publications.Google Scholar
Sheehan, D.V. (1983). Sheehan patient rated anxiety scale. The anxiety disease. New York: Scribner Book Companies Inc. Publishers.Google Scholar
Silverman, W.K., Fleisig, W., Rabian, B., & Peterson, R.A. (1991). Childhood anxiety index. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 20(2), 162–168.Google Scholar
Silverman, W.K., & Ginsburg, G.S. (1998). Anxiety disorders. In Ollendick, T.H. & Hersen, M. (Eds.), Handbook of child psychopathology (3rd ed., pp 239–268.). New York: Plenum Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silverman, W.K., & Weems, C.F. (1999). Anxiety sensitivity in children. In Taylor, S. (Ed.), Anxiety sensitivity theory, research and treatement of the fear of anxiety (pp. 239–268). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.Google Scholar
Spence, S. (1996). The prevention of anxiety disorders in childhood. In Cotton, P. & Jackson, H. (Eds). Early intervention and prevention in mental health. Australia: The Australian Psychological Society Publications.Google Scholar
Spence, S.H., & Dadds, M.R. (19896). Preventing childhood anxiety disorders. Behaviour Change, 13(4), 241–249CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spielberger, C.C. (Ed.). (1966). Anxiety and behaviour. New York: Academic Press Publications.Google Scholar
Spielberger, C.D. (1973). State-trait anxiety inventory for children. Calfornia: Consulting Psychologists Press Inc.Google Scholar
Taylor, S. (1999). Anxiety sensitivity theory, research and treatment of the fear of anxiety. New Jersy: Lawrence Erblaum Associates.Google Scholar
Taylor, S., Koch, W.J., McNally, R.J., & Crockett, D.J. (1992). Conceptualisations of anxiety sensitivity. Psychological Assessment, 4, 245–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Telch, M.J., Lucas, J.A. & Nelson, P. (1989b). Non-clinical panic in college students: An investigation of prevalence and symptomatology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 98, 300–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasey, M.W., Daleiden, E.L., Williams, L.L., & Brown, L. (1995). Biased attention in childhood anxiety disorders: A preliminary study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 267–279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verhulst, F. (2001). Community and epidemiological aspects of anxiety disorders in children. In Silverman, W.K. & Treffers, P.D.A.. (Eds.), Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, research, assessment and intervention (pp. 273–292). United Kingdom: Cambridge Press, Publishers.Google Scholar
Weems, C.F., Hammon-Laurence, K., Silverman, W.K., & Ginsburg, G. (1998). Testing the utility of the anxiety sensitivity construct in children and adolescents referred for anxiety disorders. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 69–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed