This presentation offers education regarding anxiety and the effect it has on young children.

1. Anxiety and its
Effect on Children
Lacy Hulings
American College of Education

2. Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most
commonly known mental health
issues reported in adolescents and
young children (Altman, Sommer, &
McGoey, 2009).

3. Types of Anxiety Experienced
by Children
● Separation anxiety
○ Distress when separated from home or attachment figure
● Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
○ Anxiety across many contexts
● Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
○ Distressing thoughts that cause an individual to act a certain way
● Panic disorder
○ Unexpected panic attacks
● Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
○ Re Experiencing a traumatic event
● Social phobia
○ Fear of embarrassment
● Specific phobia
○ Fear or anxiety related to specific object
(Altman, Sommer, & McGoey, 2009)

4. Psychosocial Influence
on Anxiety
● Environmental factors play a role in fear and anxiety
○ Children learn anxious behavior from watching their parents’
anxious actions
● Parental modeling and threat information transmission can
promote fear and anxiety in children
○ Parents instill fear by telling children about specific dangers
● Peer influenced anxiety
○ Fear or anxiety learned from peers around them
(Fliek, Dibbets, Roelofs, & Muris, 2016)

5. Social Cognition and
Anxiety
Taking in information
A child with an anxiety disorder take in their environment or situation
Processing Information
The child processes the environment or situation. After processing they will decide if it is scary or worrisome to
them.
Applying Information
If the child begins to be anxious, they may act by crying, shutting down, or trying to get our of the situation that is
making them anxious.

6. Why is Anxiety a Concern?
- Can cause developmental delays
- Can prevent children from participating in activities
- Impairment in daily functioning including the following
- social acceptance
- Family functioning
- Child emotional and behavioral problems
- High levels of stress
- Distorted cognitions
- Deficit in quality of life
(Pella, Drake, Tein, & Ginsburg, 2016)

7. What Can be Done?
- Family -based therapy
- Decrease parental stress
- Improve family and friend relationships
- Improve self-perception
- Preventative interventions

8. Impact of Relationships
- Anxiety disorders can lead to peer-rejection and/or lack of
friendship
- Peer-rejection is when an individual is rejected by most and maybe liked by a
few.
- Peer-acceptance is when an individual is liked by most and maybe rejected by
a few.
- Friendships are personal relationships between two people that is mutual and
reciprocal.
- Positive peer interactions can help to relieve social anxiety
- Negative relationships can increase and heighten anxiety in
children
(Mikami, 2010)

9. What Does this Mean for Health
Educators?
First and foremost, health educators need to be aware of anxiety
disorders in children. They are very prevalent and need to be handled
accordingly. Also, it is the job of the health educator to educate those in
your environment about childhood anxiety.; it is real and not enough
people are educated on the subject. Health educators should provide
support for children struggling with anxiety and they should also offer
anxiety prevention classes and coping mechanisms.

10. References
Altman, C., Sommer, J. L., & McGoey, K. E. (2009). Anxiety in early childhood: what do we know?
Journal of Early Childhood & Infant Psychology, (5), 157–175. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=a9h&AN=54479621
&site=eds-live&scope=site&authtype=sso&custid=ns083389
Fliek, L., Dibbets, P., Roelofs, J., & Muris, P. (2016). Cognitive Bias as a Mediator in the Relation
Between Fear-Enhancing Parental Behaviors and Anxiety Symptoms in Children: A
Cross-Sectional Study. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 48(1), 82-93.
doi:10.1007/s10578-016-0655-2
Mikami, A. Y. (2010). The Importance of Friendship for Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Clinical Child
and
`Family Psychology Review, 13(2), 181-198. doi:10.1007/s10567-010-0067-y
Pella, J. E., Drake, K. L., Tein, J., & Ginsburg, G. S. (2016). Child Anxiety Prevention Study: Impact on
Functional Outcomes. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 48(3), 400-410.