Abstract
The present study compared the number of severe life events and chronic adversities as reported retrospectively by mothers of children with an anxiety disorder (n=39) prior to the onset of their most recent episode, with controls (n=39) matched for age and sex. The parent version of the Psychosocial Assessment of Childhood Experiences (PACE) was used to assess chronic adversities (long-term experiences with negative impact on child) and severe life events (discrete life events with high long-term threat). A significantly greater number of severe life events and chronic adversities were assessed prior to onset for anxious children compared to controls. The finding for severe life events held regardless of whether impact ratings were assigned by mothers or a panel of independent raters, suggesting the findings reflect actual as opposed to perceived differences. Results suggest that both discrete and chronic stressors may constitute risk for future episodes of anxiety in children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1047-1056 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 3 Jun 2008 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2008 |
Funding
Acknowledgment We thank Alan Taylor from the Psychology Department, Macquarie University and Andrea Meyer, Institute of Psychology, University of Basel for their assistance with statistical analyses. This study was supported in part by funding from the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund. Jennifer Allen is now at the University of Basel, Switzerland.
Keywords
- Child anxiety
- Chronic adversity
- Etiology
- Life events
- Stress
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
