Informing early intervention: preschool predictors of anxiety disorders in middle childhood.
BACKGROUND
To inform early intervention practice, the present research examines how child anxiety, behavioural inhibition, maternal overinvolvement, maternal negativity, mother-child attachment and maternal anxiety, as assessed at age four, predict anxiety at age nine.


METHODS
202 children (102 behaviourally inhibited and 100 behaviourally uninhibited) aged 3-4 years were initially recruited and the predictors outlined above were assessed. Diagnostic assessments, using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule, were then conducted five years later.


RESULTS
Behavioural inhibition, maternal anxiety, and maternal overinvolvement were significant predictors of clinical anxiety, even after controlling for baseline anxiety (p<.05). No significant effect of negativity or attachment security was found over and above baseline anxiety (p>.1).


CONCLUSIONS
Preschool children who show anxiety, are inhibited, have overinvolved mothers and mothers with anxiety disorders are at increased risk for anxiety in middle childhood. These factors can be used to identify suitable participants for early intervention and can be targeted within intervention programs.
Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. jennie.hudson@mq.edu.au
Jennifer L
JL
Hudson
Helen F
HF
Dodd
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D061345:Early Medical Intervention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers; D009769:Object Attachment; D016487:Parenting; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires