Automatic evaluations in clinically anxious and nonanxious children and adolescents.
Automatic evaluations of clinically anxious and nonanxious children (n = 40, aged 8-16, 18 girls) were compared using a pictorial performance-based measure of automatic affective associations. Results showed a threat-related evaluation bias in clinically anxious but not in nonanxious children. In anxious participants, automatic evaluations of anxiety-relevant stimuli were more negative than those of negative stimuli. In nonanxious participants, evaluations of negative and anxiety-relevant stimuli did not differ. Furthermore, anxious youth had stronger negative evaluations of anxiety-relevant stimuli than nonanxious children. Automatic evaluations of positive, neutral, and negative stimuli did not differ between groups. Threat-related evaluations were predictive of parent-reported, but not child-reported, anxiety.
Vervoort
Leentje
L
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. L.Vervoort@uva.nl
Wolters
Lidewij H
LH
Hogendoorn
Sanne M
SM
Prins
Pier J M
PJ
de Haan
Else
E
Nauta
Maaike H
MH
Boer
Frits
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires