Oppositional behavior and anxiety in boys and girls: a cross-sectional study in two community samples.
Studies have repeatedly shown that oppositional behavior is linked to anxiety in clinical samples of children. This study explored whether these variables were similarly related in nonclinical samples of elementary and middle school students (N = 302). Despite greater self-reported oppositional behavior among boys in these samples, anxiety outweighed gender as a predictor of oppositional behavior. These findings suggest that the relationship between anxiety and oppositional behavior is not exclusive to clinical samples and that oppositional behavior that is clinical or developmental has common underlying variables across childhood.
Mireault
Gina
G
Behavioral Sciences Department, Johnson State College, 337 College Hill, Johnson, VT 05656, USA. gina.mireault@jsc.edu
Rooney
Siri
S
Kouwenhoven
Kristen
K
Hannan
Carolyn
C
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male