Concomitants and outcomes of anxiety in Chinese kindergarteners: A one-year longitudinal study

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to examine the concurrent correlates and longitudinal implications of anxiety among young Chinese children. Participants were N=360 children (200 boys, 160 girls, Mage=4.72years, SD=0.63) attending kindergarten in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. At Time 1, mothers provided ratings of their children's anxiety, temperament (negative emotionality, shyness), attachment, as well as their own personality (neuroticism), parenting styles, and attachment beliefs. At Time 2 (one year later), mothers rated children's social and emotional difficulties, and teachers assessed children's social, emotional, and academic adjustment. Results from regression analyses indicated that: (1) child temperament, mother-child insecure attachment, and maternal insecure attachment beliefs were associated with child anxiety; and (2) child anxiety symptoms (particularly social anxiety) predicted peer, emotional, and academic problems one year later. Results are discussed in terms of the maladaptive implications of anxiety symptoms in young Chinese children.