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Anxious Children's Ability to Generate Alternative Attributions for Ambiguous Situations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2011

Alexis Berry  and
Myra Cooper
Alexis Berry*
Affiliation:
Isis Education Centre, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
Myra Cooper
Affiliation:
Isis Education Centre, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
*
Reprint requests to Alexis Berry, Isis Education Centre, Warneford Hospital, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. E-mail: alexis.berry@hmc.ox.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is increasingly being used to help children overcome emotional difficulties but its suitability is still a matter of debate. Aims: This study investigated young anxious children's ability to generate alternative interpretations for events, a skill thought to be important for the effectiveness of CBT. Method: A community sample of 60 children aged 6–7 years (30 high and 30 low in anxiety) was tested. IQ, developmental level and the ability to generate alternative interpretations for ambiguous social scenarios were assessed. Results: Both groups generated alternative interpretations. However, negative self-referent scenarios were more difficult to view from alternative perspectives than positive or other-referent scenarios. Correlation analyses suggested that verbal IQ was partially associated with this skill in both groups, while developmental level was most important in the high anxious group. A “personalizing” bias was found in the negative responses of both groups. Conclusions: It is concluded that young children, whether anxious or not, do possess the ability to complete one skill thought important in CBT. While difficulty with negative self-referent scenarios and personalizing seem to be normative in the sample, those most “at risk” who also have relatively lower developmental levels may find the task particularly difficult.

Keywords

Cognitive-behavioural therapyCBTanxietychildrencognitive biases
Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , January 2012 , pp. 89 - 103
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2011

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