ENV AND CHILDHOOD ANXIETY Flashcards
ABNORMAL FEARS AND ANXIETY
23% of childhood hears reflect clinical anxiety disorders. Both genetic and environmental factors implicate the risk for childhood anxiety
WHAT IS SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER?
Persistent fear of social situations where individuals is exposed to unfamiliar people.
PREVALENCE ESTIMATION FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY:
12 Months prevalence is between 0.32% - 7%
GENETIC FACTORS TO ANXIETY
Anxiety is 30% heritable but depends on the population studied. Polygenic, many genes influence anxiety.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS TO ANXIETY
Nonshared environmental factors may play a larger role than genetics. E.g Bullying, childhood illness, culture, parent illness, attachment, neglect and abuse.
WHAT IS THE ETIOLOGICAL MODEL OF SOCIAL ANXIETY?
High levels of anxiety may emerge from childhood, from an interaction of genetic, environmental, proximal factors and cognitive factors. Examples: emotional regulation, poor social skills, beliefs and cognitive processes, parental and peer influences, negative life events and culture.
WHO CAME UP WITH THE ETIOLOGICAL MODEL OF SOCIAL ANXIETY
Spence and Rapee 2016
WHAT ARE THE ASSUMPTIONS OF THE ETIOLOGICAL MODEL OF SOCIAL ANXIETY?
- Equifinality: different pathways and combinations result in SAD
- Multifinality: one factor or combination might lead to SAD in one child but not another. May lead to several outcomes like depression, not just SAD.
PARENTING INFLUENCES ON ANXIETY
Bidirectional effects: parenting impacts childhood anxiety and child anxiety impact parenting. Mother and father may play different roles.
FEARED SITUATIONS FOR CHILDREN OCCURE IN…
The peer world
ADVERSE SOCIAL OUTCOMES OCCUR IN…
School context
AVERSIVE SOCIAL OUTCOMES:
Risk factor for future SAD not just a consequence.
Excessive teasing, criticism, bullying and victimisation. Tend to have fewer friends and are rated as low socially skilled.
SOCIALLY ANXIOUS CHILDREN AND POOR PERFORMANCE
Poor performance leads to adverse social outcomes, reinforcing social anxiety and avoidance behaviour.
BLOTE, MIERS AND WESTEBERG 2015
Examined social anxiety and judgement from peers.
Gave a speech.
High socially anxious children were rated as more rejected by peers, less attractive and less social skills.
Correlation between high anxiety and peer rejection.
PEER INFLUENCES - CRAWFORD AND MANASIS 2011
Social anxiety children are more likely to experience peer victimisation. Increasing risk for future SAD.
DIRECT/OVERT VICTIMISATION:
Physical and verbal bullying aimed at causing harm
RELATIONAL VICTIMISATION:
Harms social standing and reputation. Withdrawal of friendships and attention.
STORCH 2005
Those who had high anxiety symptoms at baseline predicted higher anxiety symptoms are a year.
CRITICAL EVALUATION: QUALITY OF EVIDENCE
Sample was white middle class, unequal male and female.
Self report measures
CONTRADICTING RESEARCH: SIEGAL 2009 & LOUKAS 2013
SIEGAL found peer victimisation to increase social anxiety over 2 months
LOUKAS found overt to be predicting social anxiety over 12 months.
TRAUMA AND LIFE EVENTS
can increase SAD and even open up the child to more disorders. Trauma may cause SAD for one child but not the other
GREN-LANDELL 2011
Swedish children relationship between stressful life events and SAD. 10% prevalence in SAD. Males: sibling/peer victimisation. Girls: all categories.
CRITICAL EVALUATION OF TRAUMA AND SAD
- focuses on adolescence as vulnerable
- retrospective
- all self-report data
CULTURAL VIEW ON SAD
Anxiety served as an evolutionary purpose. E.g English main fear is negative evaluation (Individualistic culture) and Japanese main fear is causing offence to someone (Collectivist)
