Thought-action fusion in childhood: measurement, development, and association with anxiety, rituals and other compulsive-like behaviors.
A new inventory assessing thought-action fusion (TAF) in children is presented. We explore the psychometric properties of this instrument and examine the associations between TAF, ritualistic and compulsive-like behavior (CLB) and anxiety. Three hundred thirteen children ages 7-14 (M = 10.16, SD = 1.92) representing six grades (grouped into three grade levels (grades 2-3, 4-5, and 6-7) completed the Thought-action Fusion Inventory for Children (TAFIC) and the Child Revised Manifest Anxiety Scale. One hundred thirty-five parents or guardians completed the Childhood Routines Inventory. Results revealed high internal consistency in the TAFIC (Cronbach's α = .92). TAF scores changed with age: Older children reported less TAF than younger children. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that: (1) physiological anxiety predicted CLB in early childhood; (2) TAF predicted CLB in older children. Consistent with structural developmental theories, TAF changes throughout development, but plays a role in the normative regulation of affective states, as well as in the development of ritualistic compulsive like behavior in children.
Evans
David W
DW
Department of Psychology, Chair Program In Neuroscience, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA. dwevans@bucknell.edu
Hersperger
Chelsea
C
Capaldi
Philip A
PA
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002562:Ceremonial Behavior; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011594:Psychometrics; D013850:Thinking
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