title: Can attachment and peer relation constructs predict anxiety in ethnic minority youths? A longitudinal exploratory study.
abstract: Anxiety is the most prevalent psychiatric disturbance in childhood effecting typically 15-20% of all youth. It has been associated with attachment insecurity and reduced competence in peer relations. Prior work has been limited by including mainly White samples, relying on questionnaires, and applying a cross-sectional design. The present study addressed these limitations by considering how at-risk non-White youth (n = 34) responded to the Friends and Family Interview (FFI) in middle childhood and how this linked up with anxiety symptoms and an anxiety diagnosis three years later in early adolescence. Five dimensions of secure attachment, namely, (i) to mother, (ii) to father, (iii) coherence, (iv) developmental understanding, and (v) social competence and quality of contact with best friend in middle childhood, were found to correlate significantly (and negatively) with self-reported anxiety symptoms. Linear regression results showed independent influences of female gender, and (low) quality of best friend contact as the most efficient model predicting anxiety symptoms. Logistic regression results suggested a model that included female gender, low social competence, and immature developmental understanding as efficient predictors of an anxiety diagnosis, evident in only 18% of the sample. These results point to the usefulness of after-school programs for at-risk minority youth in promoting peer competence, developmental awareness, and minimizing anxiety difficulties.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Barbara Hoff
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Esbjørn
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Breinholst
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , The New School for Social Research , New York , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kriss
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Helle Hindhede
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hald
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , The New School for Social Research , New York , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010379:Peer Group; D011638:Public Housing; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D066107:Social Skills; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Attachment; adolescence; anxiety; ethnic minority; longitudinal study