Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Behav Cogn Psychother. 2011 Oct;39(5):507-21. doi: 10.1017/S1352465811000269.
Childhood worry is common, and yet little is known about why some children develop pathological worry and others do not. Two theories of adult worry that are particularly relevant to children are Davey's problem-solving model in which perseverative worry occurs as a result of thwarted problem-solving attempts, and Wells' metacognitive model, in which positive and negative beliefs about worry interact to produce pathological worry.
The present study aimed to test hypotheses that levels of worry in young children are associated with poor or avoidant solution generation for social problems, and poor problem-solving confidence. It also aimed to explore beliefs about worry in this age group, and to examine their relationships with worry, anxiety and age.
Fifty-seven young children (6-10 years) responded to open ended questions about social problem-solving situations and beliefs about worry, and completed measures of worry, anxiety and problem-solving confidence.
Children with higher levels of worry and anxiety reported using more avoidant solutions in social problem situations and children's low confidence in problem solving was associated with high levels of worry. Children as young as 6 years old reported both positive and negative beliefs about worry, but neither were associated with age, gender, or level of anxiety or worry.
RESULTS indicate similarities between adults and children in the relationships between problem-solving variables and worry, but not in relationships between beliefs about worry and worry. This may be due to developmental factors, or may be the result of measurement issues.
儿童忧虑是常见的，但为什么有些孩子会发展成病理性忧虑，而有些孩子则不会，这方面的了解甚少。有两种与儿童特别相关的成人忧虑理论，戴维的问题解决模型认为，持续的忧虑是由于解决问题的尝试受阻而产生的；威尔斯的元认知模型认为，对忧虑的积极和消极信念相互作用产生病理性忧虑。
本研究旨在检验以下假设：年幼的孩子的忧虑水平与社交问题解决能力差或回避、解决问题的信心差有关；并探索该年龄组的忧虑观念，以及探讨它们与忧虑、焦虑和年龄的关系。
57 名 6-10 岁的儿童对社交问题解决情境和对忧虑的看法进行了开放式问题的回答，并完成了忧虑、焦虑和解决问题信心的测量。
忧虑和焦虑程度较高的儿童在社交问题情境中更倾向于使用回避性解决方案，儿童对解决问题的信心较低与较高的忧虑水平有关。年龄在 6 岁的儿童报告了对忧虑的积极和消极信念，但两者都与年龄、性别、焦虑或忧虑水平无关。
结果表明，在解决问题的变量与忧虑之间的关系上，儿童与成人存在相似之处，但在忧虑观念与忧虑之间的关系上则不然。这可能是由于发展因素，也可能是由于测量问题所致。
