The natural course of anxiety symptoms in early adolescence: factors related to persistence

ABSTRACT

Background and objectives: Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems during childhood and adolescence. This study examined the course of anxiety symptoms in early adolescents from the general population over three phases.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: Two hundred and forty-two participants (mean-age of 13.52) from a baseline sample of 1514 (mean-age of 10.23) were followed up three times. Of the 1514 children, those with emotional risk and controls without risk constituted the second-phase sample (n = 562; mean-age of 11.25). The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-SCARED was administered in all three phases.

Results: Fifty-six percent and 32% of respondents showed total scores above the SCARED cutoff point at one and three years follow-up, respectively. Eight percent showed fluctuating symptoms. Fifty-five percent of respondents showed high scores for any subtype of anxiety over three years. Social phobia and generalized anxiety symptoms were the most prevalent and persistent. Participants with persistent separation anxiety showed the highest co-occurrence with symptoms of other psychopathological disorders. Participants with persistent anxiety showed lower academic performance. Being male was a protective factor against persistence.

Conclusions: The data support anxiety maintenance during early adolescence. Early adolescence is a critical period which may involve other serious academic, social, and family problems.

KEYWORDS:

• Anxiety symptoms
• SCARED
• early adolescence
• epidemiology
• prospective study

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Núria Voltas http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8855-0282

Carmen Hernández-Martínez http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6328-8679

Victoria Arija http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1758-0975

Josefa Canals http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6209-9558

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias” (PI07/0839), Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumption, and by a doctoral grant from the Department of Universities, Research and the Information Society of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government) and the European Social Fund.