Skip to main content
Log in

Teacher Awareness of Anxiety Symptoms in Children

  • Published:
Child Psychiatry and Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine which anxiety symptoms in children are associated with teacher awareness and whether teacher awareness differs according to student age and gender. The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) was completed by 453 second through fifth grade students and teachers nominated the three most anxious students in their classrooms. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted with MASC scale scores as the dependent variables. Children identified by teachers as anxious had significantly higher levels of overall anxiety, physiological anxiety, social anxiety, and separation anxiety. Overall, teacher awareness did not differ based on student age or gender.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Stanger C, Lewis M (1993) Agreement among parents, teachers, and children on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. J Clin Child Psychol 22:107–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Frick PJ, Silverthorn P, Evans C (1994) Assessment of childhood anxiety using structured interviews: patterns of agreement among informants and association with maternal anxiety. Psychol Assess 6:372–379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Muris P, Meesters C (2002) Symptoms of anxiety disorders and teacher-reported school functioning of normal children. Psychol Rep 91:588–590

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Loeber R, Green SM, Lahey BB (1990) Mental health professionals’ perception of the utility of children, mothers, and teachers as informants on childhood psychopathology. J Clin Child Psychol 19:136–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Messman J, Koot HM (2000) Child-reported depression and anxiety in preadolescence: I. Associations with parent- and teacher-reported problems. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39:1271–1378

    Google Scholar 

  6. Kolko DJ, Kazdin AE (1993) Emotional/behavioral problems in clinic and nonclinic children: correspondence among child, parent and teacher reports. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 34:991–1006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Achenbach TM, McConaughy SH, Howell CT (1987) Child/Adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychol Bull 10:213–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Epkins CC (1995) Teachers’ ratings of inpatient children’s depression, anxiety, and aggression: a preliminary comparison between inpatient-facility and community-based teachers’ ratings and their correspondence with children’s self-reports. J Clin Child Psychol 24:63–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Compton SN, Nelson AH, March JS (2000) Social phobia and separation anxiety symptoms in community and clinical samples of children and adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39:1040–1046

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. La Greca AM, Lopez N (1998) Social anxiety among adolescents: linkages with peer relations and friendships. J Abnorm Psychol 26:83–94

    Google Scholar 

  11. Rudolph K (2002) Gender differences in emotional responses to interpersonal stress during adolescence. Int J Adolesc Med Health 30S:3–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Costello EJ, Mustilo S, Erkanli A, Keeler G, Angold A (2003) Prevalence and development of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Arch Gen Psychiatry 60:837–844

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Lewinshon PM, Gotlib IH, Lewinsohn M, Seeley JR, Allen NB (1998) Gender differences in anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms in adolescents. J Abnorm Psychol 107:109–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Westenberg PM, Siebelink BM, Warmenhoven NJC, Treffers PDA (1999) Separation anxiety and overanxious disorders: relations to age and level of psychosocial maturity. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38:1000–1007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Costello EJ, Angold A, Burns BJ, Stangel DK, Tweed DL, Erkanli A et al. (1996) The great smoky mountains study of youth: goals design, methods, and the prevalence of DSM-III-R disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry 53:1129–1136

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Crick NR, Ladd GW (1993) Children’s perceptions of their peer experiences: attributions, loneliness, social anxiety, and social avoidance. Dev Psychol 29:244–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Esbensen F, Miller MH, Taylor TJ, He N, Freng A (1999) Differential attrition rates and active parental consent. Eval Rev 23:316–335

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Dierker LC, Albano AM, Clarke G, Heimberg R, Kendall PC et al. (2001) Screening for anxiety and depression in early adolescence. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:929–936

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. March J (1997) Multidimensional anxiety scale for children. MultiHealth Systems Inc., North Tonawanda NY

    Google Scholar 

  20. March JS, Parker JDA, Sullivan K, Stallings P, Conners CK (1997) The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC): factor structure, reliability, and validity. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 36:554–565

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. March JS, Sullivan K (1999) Test–retest reliability of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children. J Anxiety Disord 13:349–358

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Masi G, Mucci M, Favilla L, Romano R, Poli P (1999) Symptomatology and comorbidity of generalized anxiety disorder in children and adolescents. Compr Psychiatry 40:210–215

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ann E. Layne.

Additional information

Presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Miami Beach, October 2003

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Layne, A.E., Bernstein, G.A. & March, J.S. Teacher Awareness of Anxiety Symptoms in Children. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 36, 383–392 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-006-0009-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-006-0009-6

Keywords

Navigation