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Cognitive coping and childhood anxiety disorders

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Abstract

To investigate differences in cognitive coping strategies between anxiety-disordered and non-anxious 9–11-year-old children. Additionally, differences in cognitive coping between specific anxiety disorders were examined. A clinical sample of 131 anxiety-disordered children and a general population sample of 452 non-anxious children were gathered. All children filled out the child version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-k). Structured clinical interviews were used to assess childhood anxiety disorders. Results showed that anxiety-disordered children experience significantly more ‘lifetime’ negative life events than non-anxious children. Adjusted for the ‘lifetime’ experience of negative life events, anxiety-disordered children scored significantly higher on the strategies catastrophizing and rumination, and significantly lower on the strategies positive reappraisal and refocus on planning than non-anxious children. No significant differences in cognitive coping were found between children with specific anxiety disorders. Anxiety-disordered children employ significantly more maladaptive and less adaptive cognitive coping strategies in response to negative life events than non-anxious children. The results suggest that cognitive coping is a valuable target for prevention and treatment of childhood anxiety problems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam/Sophia Children’s Hospital, Dr. Molewaterplein 60, PO Box 2060, 3000 CB, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Jeroen S. Legerstee, Frank C. Verhulst & Elisabeth M. W. J. Utens

  2. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Nadia Garnefski

  3. Department of Educational Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Francine C. Jellesma

Authors
  1. Jeroen S. Legerstee
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  2. Nadia Garnefski
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  3. Francine C. Jellesma
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  4. Frank C. Verhulst
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  5. Elisabeth M. W. J. Utens
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Correspondence to Elisabeth M. W. J. Utens.

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Legerstee, J.S., Garnefski, N., Jellesma, F.C. et al. Cognitive coping and childhood anxiety disorders. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 19, 143–150 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-009-0051-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-009-0051-6

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