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Longitudinal investigation of the role of temperament and stressful life events in childhood anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2014

Suzanne Broeren ,
Carol Newall ,
Helen F. Dodd ,
Ruth Locker  and
Jennifer L. Hudson
Suzanne Broeren
Affiliation:
Macquarie University Erasmus Medical Centre
Carol Newall
Affiliation:
Macquarie University
Helen F. Dodd
Affiliation:
Macquarie University University of East Anglia
Ruth Locker
Affiliation:
Macquarie University
Jennifer L. Hudson*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jennifer Hudson, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, Macquarie, NSW 2109, Australia; E-mail: jennie.hudson@mq.edu.au.
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Abstract

The current study investigated the longitudinal relationships among behavioral inhibition (BI), life events, and anxiety in a sample of 102 BI children and 100 behaviorally uninhibited (BUI) children aged 3 to 4 years. Children's parents completed questionnaires on BI, stressful life events, and anxiety symptoms, and were administered a diagnostic interview three times in a 5-year period. In line with our hypotheses, negative life events, particularly negative behavior-dependent life events (i.e., life events that are related to the children's own behaviors), and the impact of negative life events were predictive of increases in subsequent anxiety symptoms, the likelihood of having an anxiety disorder, and increased number of anxiety diagnoses over the 5-year follow-up period. Experiencing more positive, behavior-independent life events decreased the risk of being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Furthermore, differences were found in life events between BI and BUI children. That is, BI children experienced fewer positive and specifically positive behavior-dependent life events, and the impact of these positive life events was also lower in BI children than in BUI children. However, BI did not interact with life events in the prediction of anxiety problems as hypothesized. Therefore, this study seems to indicate that BI and life events act as additive risk factors in the development of anxiety problems.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , May 2014 , pp. 437 - 449
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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