Reeve Jessica L, Porter Melanie A
School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia.
Children (Basel). 2025 Aug 21;12(8):1098. doi: 10.3390/children12081098.
: Anxiety is a hallmark feature of Williams syndrome (WS), with very high prevalence rates of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and specific phobias in both school-aged children and adults, yet a relatively lower prevalence of social phobia. There is very limited research on anxiety in very young children with WS, and no study to date has examined the early prevalence and development of different anxiety disorders in WS. The present research provides a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence and longitudinal profile of anxiety symptomology in very young children with WS. Potential environmental and demographic correlates of anxiety symptomology were also explored. : Participants included 19 young children with WS, aged between 2 and 5 years (at initial testing), who completed a comprehensive developmental assessment. Parents/guardians also completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS; Spence, 1997 & Spence et al., 2001), a standardised, psychometrically robust anxiety questionnaire (commonly utilised in research and clinical settings) that measures anxiety symptomology for various anxiety disorders present in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). : The present research found anxiety symptomology to be highly prevalent in very young children with WS, particularly GAD and specific phobia. Moreover, the prevalence of anxiety symptomology increased with age and over time, with many children developing comorbid anxiety disorder symptoms approximately 3.5 years later, at Time 2. Chronological age, sex, and developmental/intellectual capabilities were also found to impact on the developmental trajectory of anxiety in young children with WS. : The longitudinal findings provide evidence for the contribution of environmental factors on the nature, developmental course, and maintenance of anxiety. Considerable individual variability was apparent, confirming the importance of individual assessments and developing individualised treatment programmes for those with WS.
焦虑是威廉姆斯综合征（WS）的一个标志性特征，在学龄儿童和成年人中，广泛性焦虑症（GAD）和特定恐惧症的患病率都非常高，但社交恐惧症的患病率相对较低。关于WS幼儿焦虑症的研究非常有限，迄今为止还没有研究考察过WS中不同焦虑症的早期患病率和发展情况。本研究对WS幼儿焦虑症状的患病率和纵向情况进行了全面评估。还探讨了焦虑症状潜在的环境和人口统计学相关因素。
参与者包括19名患有WS的幼儿，年龄在2至5岁之间（初次测试时），他们完成了一项全面的发育评估。父母/监护人还完成了斯宾斯儿童焦虑量表（SCAS；斯宾斯，1997年和斯宾斯等人，2001年），这是一份标准化的、心理测量学上可靠的焦虑问卷（常用于研究和临床环境），用于测量《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第五版（DSM-5；美国精神病学协会，2013年）中存在的各种焦虑症的焦虑症状。
本研究发现，焦虑症状在患有WS的幼儿中非常普遍，尤其是广泛性焦虑症和特定恐惧症。此外，焦虑症状的患病率随着年龄增长和时间推移而增加，许多儿童在大约3.5年后的第二次测试时出现了共病焦虑症症状。还发现实际年龄、性别和发育/智力能力会影响患有WS的幼儿焦虑症的发展轨迹。
纵向研究结果为环境因素对焦虑症的性质、发展过程和维持的影响提供了证据。个体差异相当明显，这证实了对WS患者进行个体评估和制定个性化治疗方案的重要性。
