The Adler Center for Research in Child Development and Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel.
Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2010 Feb;41(1):88-97. doi: 10.1007/s10578-009-0154-9. Epub 2009 Jul 28.
The objective is to examine underlying associations between childhood fears, behavior problems and neurobehavioral functioning (NBF) in school-age children. Healthy, regular school children (N = 135), from second, fourth and sixth grade classes were assessed. Data regarding children's fears and behavioral problems were obtained with the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children, the Child Behavior Checklist, and NBF was assessed using a computerized neurobehavioral evaluation system. Significant correlations between childhood fears and NBF measures and somatic complaints were found. Children who reported higher levels of fears demonstrated lower working memory span (r = 0.24, p < 0.05), lower motor speed (r = -0.23, p < 0.05), and had more somatic complaints (r = 0.20, p < 0.05). Furthermore, younger children reported less fears than older ones and girls reported more fears than boys. These results highlight significant association between childhood fears, NBF and behavior problems in a non-clinical group children. Lower working memory span is an important component of executive control that may be an underlying factor in fears and anxiety in children.
目的在于研究儿童期恐惧、行为问题与学龄儿童神经行为功能（NBF）之间的潜在关联。研究对象为健康、正常的学龄儿童（N=135），来自二、四、六年级。采用修订后的儿童恐惧调查量表、儿童行为检查表来获取儿童恐惧和行为问题的数据，使用计算机化神经行为评估系统来评估 NBF。研究发现儿童期恐惧与 NBF 测量值和躯体抱怨之间存在显著相关性。报告恐惧程度较高的儿童的工作记忆跨度较低（r=0.24，p<0.05），运动速度较慢（r=-0.23，p<0.05），躯体抱怨较多（r=0.20，p<0.05）。此外，年幼的儿童比年长的儿童报告的恐惧少，女孩比男孩报告的恐惧多。这些结果强调了非临床儿童群体中儿童期恐惧、NBF 和行为问题之间的显著关联。较低的工作记忆跨度是执行控制的一个重要组成部分，可能是儿童恐惧和焦虑的潜在因素。
