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Subject: search.filters.subject.Anxiety in children

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    Family factors associated with anxiety in children : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Watson, Sarah
    The present study investigated the impact of the family environment to emotional and behavioural problems in children's lives. Various hypotheses were related to how the family environment differs for internalising and externalising problems in children, and in turn how the family environment related to the specific emotional disturbances of anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder in children. Also, the role of the family environment as a moderator in the relationship between anxiety and depression. A number of hypotheses related to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) were not able to be investigated in the present study due to small sample size. Included in these hypotheses were Rapoport's (1989) theorised developmental pathway of ritualisation in children and Kashani et al.'s (1992) theorised three subgroups of obsessive compulsive disorder. In addition, DSM-IV's theorised distinction between children that have, or do not have, insight into their obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. However, the hypothesis regarding the relationship obsessive-compulsive problems had with internalising and externalising problems were assessed in the present study. Other hypotheses included the relationship children experiencing anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive problems had to children's coping strategies. Coping strategies then, were also investigated in regard to their relationship with the family environment. Finally, significant life events were evaluated in terms of their relationship with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, while another hypotheses were related to coping strategies as a moderater in the relationship between anxiety and depression. The sample consisted of seventy-two children and forty-nine parents, using a multitrait, multimethod battery of measures. Correlational analyses, including the use of multiple regression, indicated that the family environment was indeed related to internalising and externalising problems, as well as anxiety, depression and OCD in children. The family environment also moderated the relationship between anxiety and depression. In addition, findings indicated that OCD predicted externalising problems while anxiety predicted both internalising and externalising problems. The family environment was also found to relate to children's coping strategies, as was anxiety and OCD. Finally, anxiety and OCD were indicated to relate to significant life events. These results are discussed in terms of other research literature, their implications for treatment and future research.
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    The impact of immigration on the anxiety, self-esteem and attitudes towards school and friends of South African immigrant children : a thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1997) Mason, Lesleyanne
    This study is an attempt to explore any psychological and emotional difficulties South African immigrant children may encounter in New Zealand. Use was made of both qualitative and quantitative data. Anxiety and self-esteem scales were administered together with various semantic differential examining attitudes towards and perceptions of friends and schools. Two questionnaires were designed to explore aspects of the South African children's immigration experience, including reasons for their immigration, how they feel about it, what they like and do not like about South Africa, and what they like and do not like about New Zealand. One of these questionnaires was completed by the South African children's parents and the other by the South African children. The sample consisted of 36 South African children who had volunteered from three North Shore Intermediate schools. The control group consisted of 36 New Zealand children who had volunteered from a North Shore Intermediate school. All of the children completed the anxiety, self-esteem scales and the semantic differentials. Only the South African children and their parents completed the questionnaires. Results indicated no significant difference in State and Trait anxiety and global self worth for South African children and New Zealand children based on gender. A significant difference was found in social acceptance for the New Zealand children based on gender. New Zealand girls have significantly higher self-esteem (social acceptance) than do New Zealand boys. South African immigrant children had significantly higher State anxiety than did New Zealand children. Anxiety and self- esteem was measured in relation to various demographic variables. It was found that South African immigrant children who knew another child at the first school attended in New Zealand had greater self-esteem (global self worth) than children who did not. South African immigrant children who were happy to be living in New Zealand had lower State anxiety and higher self-esteem (global self worth) than children who were not happy to be living in New Zealand. South African immigrant children have significantly more negative attitudes and perceptions of school in New Zealand than school in South Africa. They also have more negative attitudes and perceptions of their friends in New Zealand than New Zealand children have.
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    An exploration of children's dental anxiety : triggers, coping and needs : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2010) Watson, Rosemary Jane
    Visiting the dentist can induce feelings of intense anxiety in many people. Such people often seek to limit their anxiety by avoiding dental treatment. Avoidance can then lead to major dental problems that require invasive and possibility painful treatment and reinforcing the individual’s dental fear. Very few studies have been conducted into children’s experience of the dental visit in their own words. The aim of the present study was to do this by exploring three aspects of the dental experience. These were the factors in the dental environment that trigger dental anxiety, the coping strategies children use to deal with dental anxiety, and what children’s needs are that would enable them to cope better. Interviews were conducted with 54 children aged between 7-11 years. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the children’s accounts. The findings revealed that a number of factors trigger anxiety in children; children use a wide range of coping strategies to deal with anxiety and pain while at the dentist and there are a number of needs children have during dental treatment that are not being met. Implications for these themes for dental training, education and interventions are suggested.
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    Emotional difficulties in children with behaviour difficulties, within special education schools : submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters degree of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2010) Niehaus, Bernard Greeff
    The aim of this study is to identify and address whether the symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma are higher in children with behaviour difficulties than those in the general population of the same age and gender. A group of 22 children aged 8 – 13 of both genders participated in the research. The sample selected attend a special needs school for children classed as having behaviour difficulties. These children have been removed from mainstream education due to their behaviour. Literature points to the fact that the symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma can affect the behaviour and academic ability of children. There is however very limited literature available on children with behaviour difficulties. The children completed a Child Depression Inventory, Multidimensional Anxiety Scale, and Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children. The teacher and parents of these children completed a Conners behaviour checklist to establish a baseline of behaviour for these children. The asTTle academic records of the children were accessed from the school’s database to establish a baseline of academic achievement for these children in comparison to the general population. The research conducted indicated mixed results both indicating that children in these special needs school have both higher and similar rates of symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma.
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    Coping in the chair : a validation study of the Monitoring Blunting Dental Scale : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Williams, Matthew Neil
    The monitoring-blunting theory of coping in threatening situations (Miller, 1981, 1987) suggests that when faced with a threatening situation, individuals can respond either by attending to threatening information (―monitoring‖) or by avoiding threatening information (―blunting‖). A valid and reliable measure of children’s preferred coping styles in dental situations may assist dental staff in providing efficacious anxiety-reducing interventions to diverse groups of children. The current study sought to validate a scale of children’s preference for monitoring or blunting in dental situations (the Monitoring Blunting Dental Scale or MBDS). The psychometric characteristics of the scale were assessed in a group of 240 eleven to thirteen year old New Zealand children. Internal consistency reliability was adequate for both the monitoring ( = .743) and blunting ( = .762) subscales. Convergent validity was indicated by strong correlations (> .6) between the MBDS monitoring and blunting subscales and those of an adapted version of the Child Behavioural Style Scale (CBSS-M). Discriminant validity with respect to dental anxiety was strong for the monitoring subscale, r = .079, p = .221, but not the blunting subscale, r = .478, p <.001. Confirmatory factor analysis of the MBDS indicated adequate fit for a two factor monitoring-blunting model (RMSEA = .079), but unacceptable fit for a one factor model (RMSEA = .095). A similar finding was observed when confirmatory factor analysis of the CBSS-M was conducted. These confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the monitoring and blunting theoretical constructs cannot be justifiably regarded as representing poles of a single underlying dimension, but are better regarded as distinct, related constructs. A content analysis of children’s comments about the coping strategies they might adopt in several dental scenarios indicated that these strategies were largely classifiable within monitoring-blunting theory, with blunting-type strategies much more commonly mentioned. Given further validity evidence, the MBDS could be a useful measure when attempting to tailor anxiety-reducing interventions in dental settings to children with diverse coping preferences.