The status of anxiety and its influential factors of preschool children in rural areas

Abstract

Objective To know the anxiety status of preschool children in rural areas and to explore its influential factors. Methods Subjects of 1 363 rural preschool children aged 3-6 years were selected from Anhui Province(Changfeng and Feixi county of Hefei city; Qianshan county of Anqing city; Funan county of Fuyang city). The primary caregivers of preschool children were investigated by Chinese version of Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale (SPAS), Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers (DECA-P2), Neglect Norms for Children Aged 3 to 6 Years in Rural Areas of China, Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection Resolve (APGAR), Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and Self-rating depression (SDS). Results Among the 1 363 preschool children, the positive rate of anxiety was 14.7%.Physical injury fears score was highest (1.24±0.84), followed by social phobia anxiety (0.86±0.75) and separation anxiety (0.85±0.74). Except for obsessive compulsive disorder, the other four types of anxiety and total anxiety scores were negatively correlated with the total protective factors of mental resilience (r=-0.054- -0.070, P<0.05). Besides, all anxiety scores were positively correlated with behavioral problems(r=0.121-0.237, P<0.05)and neglect degree (r=0.157-0.269, P<0.05). The results of multiple linear regression analysis of different anxiety types showed that gender, family type, family income status, parental rearing pattern was consistent or inconsistent, children’s neglect degree, behavior problem and anxiety/depression status of primary caregivers were the main factors affecting the anxiety level of preschool children in rural areas. Conclusions In order to reduce or avoid anxiety of preschool children, it is necessary to establish a good family environment, improve parents’ upbringing level, and take effective education intervention. Key words: Preschool children; Anxiety; Influencing factor