title: Generalized anxiety disorder in a nonclinical sample of children: symptom presentation and predictors of impairment.
abstract: Presentation of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a nonclinical sample of children (7-11 years old) and factors that predict overall impairment were examined. Symptom presentation was compared in children with GAD (n=49) and anxious children without GAD (n=42). Children with GAD endorsed significantly more worries, greater intensity of worries, and more DSM-IV associated symptoms than anxious children without GAD. Eighty-six percent of children with GAD had a comorbid diagnosis with 4% having a depressive disorder. Number of associated symptoms was most predictive of GAD impairment based on child perspective and intensity of worry was most predictive based on clinician perspective. Overall, findings from the current study are consistent with reports based on clinical samples. The DSM-IV-TR criteria for GAD were supported, with the exception that children with GAD typically present with several associated symptoms, rather than only one.
authors.affiliation: Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
authors.forename: Ann E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Layne
authors.forename: Debra H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bernat
authors.forename: Andrea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: Gail A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bernstein
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index