Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-p2v8j Total loading time: 0.001 Render date: 2024-06-01T16:34:14.235Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Preventing Childhood Anxiety Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2014

Susan H. Spence  and
Mark R. Dadds
Susan H. Spence*
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Mark R. Dadds
Affiliation:
Griffith University
*
Department of Psychology, University of Queensland QLD 4072, Australia
Get access

Abstract

Although much has been written about the need for prevention of anxiety disorders in children, there has been a marked absence of empirical research to evaluate the effectiveness of such programs. This paper suggests that there is now sufficient evidence to identify risk and protective factors for the development of childhood anxiety disorders. Early childhood temperament, negative life events, and children's coping styles are suggested to play a significant role. Acting in association with these variables are parental behaviours that serve to model, prompt, and reinforce anxious behaviour and emphasise the threatening nature of events. Our knowledge of these causal variables enables us to identify children at risk for the development of anxiety problems and highlights variables that should be targets of change in prevention programs. Indicated prevention is designed to disrupt the trajectory towards the development of clinical levels of psychological disorder. This paper describes an “indicated” preventive program for children identified as being at risk for the development of anxiety disorders given evidence of mild anxious symptomatology.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 13 , Issue 4: Special Issue — Part II: Internalising Disorders of Children and Adolescents , December 1996 , pp. 241 - 249
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 1996

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.)

References

REFERENCES

Amata, P.R., & Keith, B. (1991). Parental divorce and the well-being of children: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin. 110, 26–46.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Asendorpf, J.B. (1993). Beyond temperament: A two-factor coping model of the development of behavioural inhibition during childhood. In Rubin, K.H. & Asendorpf, J.B. (Eds.), Social withdrawal, inhibition and shyness in childhood (pp. 265–269). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Barrett, P.M., Dadds, M.R., & Rapee, R.M. (1996). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 333–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrett, P.M., Rapee, R.M., Dadds, M.R., & Ryan, S. (in press). Family enhancement of cognitive styles in anxious and aggressive children: The FEAR effect. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.Google Scholar
Benjamin, R.S., Costello, A.J., & Warren, M. (1990). Anxiety disorders in a pediatric sample. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 4, 293–316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernstein, G.A., & Borchardt, C.M. (1991). Anxiety disorders of childhood and adolescence: A critical review. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 519–532.Google Scholar
Biederman, J., Rosenbaum, J.F., Bolduc-Murphy, E.A., Faraone, S.V., Chaloff, J., Hirshfeld, D. R., & Kagan, J. (1993). A 3-year follow-up of children with and without behavioural inhibition. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32(4), 814–821.Google Scholar
Bush, J.P., Melamed, B.G., Sheras, P.L., & Greenbaum, P.E. (1986). Mother–child patterns of coping with anticipatory medical stress. Health Psychology, 5, 137–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Compas, B. (1987). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 393–403.Google Scholar
Dadds, M. R., Barrett, P.M., Rapee, R.M., & Ryan, S. (in press). Family process and child anxiety and aggression: An observational analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.Google Scholar
Dadds, M. R., Spence, S.H., Holland, D.Barrett, P.M., & Laurens, (in press). The Queensland Early Intervention and Prevention of Anxiety Project. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S.J. (1986). The measurement of children's sleep disturbances and somatic complaints following a disaster. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 16, 148–153.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S.J., O'Donnell, J.P., & Staley, A.A. (1984). Lightening-strike disaster: Effects on children's fears and worries. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 1028–1038.Google Scholar
Felner, R.D., & Adan, A.M. (1988). The School Transition Environment Project: An ecological intervention and evaluation. In Price, R.H., Cowen, E.L., Lorion, R.P., & Ramos-McKay, J. (Eds.), Fourteen ounces of prevention: A case book for practitioners (pp. 111–122). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forehand, R. (1992). Parental divorce and adolescent maladjustment. Behavior Research and Therapy, 30, 319–327.Google Scholar
Goodyer, I.M., & Altham, P.M. (1991). Lifetime exit events and recent social and family adversities in anxious and depressed school-aged children. Journal of Affective Disorders. 21, 219–228.Google Scholar
Goodyer, I.M., Wright, C., & Altham, P.M. (1990). The friendships and recent life events of anxious and depressed school-aged children. British Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 689–698.Google Scholar
Hess, R.D., & Camara, K.A. (1979). Post-divorce family relationships as mediating factors in the consequences of divorce for children. Journal of Social Issues, 35, 70–95.Google Scholar
Hightower, A.D., & Braden, J. (1991). Prevention. In Kratochwill, T.R. & Morris, R.J. (Eds.), The practice of child therapy (pp. 410–440). New York: Pergamon.Google Scholar
Hodges, W.F. (1991). Interventions for children of divorce. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Jacobsen, P.B., Manne, B., Garfinkle, K., & Schorr, O. (1990). Analysis of child and parent behavior during painful medical procedures. Health Psychology, 9, 559–576.Google Scholar
Jay, S.M., Elliott, C.H., Katz, E., & Siegel, S.E. (1987). Cognitive-behavioral and pharmacoligic interventions for children's distress during painful medical procedures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 860–865.Google Scholar
Kagan, J., Reznick, J.S., & Gibbons, J. (1989). Inhibited and uninhibited types of children. Child Development, 60, 838–845.Google Scholar
Kagan, J., & Snidman, N. (1991). Infant predictors of inhibited and uninhibited profiles. Psychological Science, 2, 40–43.Google Scholar
Keller, M. B., Lavori, P.W., Wunder, J., Beardslee, W.R., Schwartz, C.E., & Roth, J. (1992). Chronic course of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 595–599.Google Scholar
Kendall, P.C. (1994). Treatment of anxiety disorders in children: A controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 100–110.Google Scholar
King, N.J., Hamilton, D.I., & Murphy, G.C. (1983). The prevention of children's maladaptive fears. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 5, 43–57.Google Scholar
Krohne, H.W. (1990). Parental childrearing and anxiety development. In Hurrelmann, K. & Losel, F. (Eds.), Health hazards in adolescence (pp. 115–130). New York: de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Krohne, H.W. (1992). Developmental conditions of anxiety and coping: A two process model of child-rearing effects. In Hagtvet, K.A. (Ed.), Advances in test anxiety research (Vol. 7, pp. 143–155). Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.Google Scholar
Krohne, H.W., & Hock, M. (1991). Relationships between restrictive mother-child interactions and anxiety of the child. Anxiety Research, 4, 109–124.Google Scholar
Last, C.G., Hersen, M., Kazdin, A.E., Francis, G., & Grubb, H.J. (1987). Psychiatric illness in the mothers of anxious children. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1580–1583.Google Scholar
Martinez, J.G.R. (1987). Preventing math anxiety: A prescription. Academic Therapy, 23, 117–125.Google Scholar
Mattison, R.E. (1992). Anxiety disorders. In Hooper, S.R., Hynd, G.W., & Mattison, R.E. (Eds.), Child psy-chopathology: Diagnostic criteria and clinical assessment (pp. 179–202). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
McFarlane, A.C. (1987). Posttraumatic phenomena in a longitudinal study of children following a natural disaster. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 26, 764–769.Google Scholar
Melamed, B.J., Hawes, R.R., Heiby, E., & Glick, J. (1975). Use of filmed modeling to reduce unco-operative behavior of children during dental treatment. Journal of Dental Research, 54, 791–801.Google Scholar
Melamed, B.J., Weinstein, D., Hawes, R.R., & Katin-Borland, M. (1975). Reduction of fear-related dental management problems with use of film modeling. Journal of the American Dental Association, 90, 822–826.Google Scholar
Mrazek, P.J., & Haggarty, R.J. (Eds.). (1994). Reducing the risks for mental disorders: Frontiers for preventive intervention research. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Ost, L.G. (1987). Age of onset in different phobias. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96, 223–229.Google Scholar
Pedro-Carroll, J.L., & Cowen, E.L. (1985). The Children of Divorce Intervention Project: An investigation of the efficacy of a school-based prevention program. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 603–611.Google Scholar
Perrin, S., & Last, C.G., (1992). Do childhood anxiety measures measure anxiety? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20, 567–577.Google Scholar
Peterson, L., & Shigetomi, C. (1981). The use of coping techniques to minimize anxiety in hospitalized children. Behavior Therapy, 12, 1–14.Google Scholar
Plomin, R., & Stocker, C. (1989). Behavioural genetics of emotionality. In Reznick, S. (Ed.), Perspectives on behavioural inhibition (pp. 219–240). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Reynolds, C.R., & Richmond, O. B. (1979). What 1 think and feel: A revised measure of children's manifest anxiety. Journal of Personality Assessment, 43, 281–283.Google Scholar
Robinson, E.H., Rotter, J.C., Fey, M.A., & Robinson, S.L. (1991). Children's fears: Towards a preventative model. The School Counselor, 38, 187–202.Google Scholar
Rosenbaum, J.F., Biederman, J., Bolduc-Murphy, E.A., Faraone, S.V., Chaloff, J., Hirshfeld, D.R., & Kagan, J. (1993, 05/June). Behavioural inhibition in childhood: A risk factor for anxiety disorders. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 2–16.Google Scholar
Spence, S.H. (1994). Prevention. In Ollendick, T.H., King, N., & Yule, W. (Eds.), International handbook of phobic and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. New York: Plenum.Google Scholar
Spence, S.H. (1996a). A case for prevention. In Cotton, P. & Jackson, H. (Eds.), Early Intervention and preventive applications of clinical psychology (pp. 1–19). Melbourne: Australian Psychological Society.Google Scholar
Spence, S.H. (1996b). The prevention of anxiety disorders in childhood. In Cotton, P. & Jackson, H. (Eds.), Early intervention and preventive applications of clinical psychology (pp. 87–107). Melbourne: Australian Psychological Society.Google Scholar
Terr, L.C. (1981). Psychic trauma in children: Observations following the Chowchilla school-bus kidnapping. American Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 14–19.Google Scholar
Thapar, A., & McGuffin, P. (1995). Are anxiety symptoms in childhood heritable? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 439–447.Google Scholar
Terr, L.C. (1981). Psychic trauma in children: Observations following the Chowchilla school-bus kidnapping. American Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 14–19.Google Scholar
Turner, S.M., Beidel, D.C., & Costello, A. (1987). Psychopathology in the offspring of anxiety disorder patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 229–235.Google Scholar
Weinstein, P. (1990). Breaking the worldwide cycle of pain, fear and avoidance: Uncovering risk factors and promoting prevention for children. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 12, 141–147.Google Scholar
Yule, W. (1991). Work with children following disasters. In Herbert, M. (Ed.), Clinical child psychology: A social learning approach to theory and practice (pp. 223–241). Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Yule, W., & Williams, R. (1990). Post-traumatic stress reactions in children. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3, 279–295.Google Scholar