Article2015

Distinct trajectories of separation anxiety in the preschool years: persistence at school entry and early‐life associated factors

Marco Battaglia · Évelyne Touchette · Gabrielle Garon‐Carrier · Ginette Dionne · Sylvana M. Côté · Frank Vitaro +2 more

63 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how children differ in the onset and evolution of separation anxiety (SA) symptoms during the preschool years, and how SA develops into separation anxiety disorder. In a large, representative population-based sample, we investigated the developmental trajectories of SA symptoms from infancy to school entry, their early associated risk factors, and their associations with teachers' ratings of SA in kindergarten. METHODS: Longitudinal assessment of SA trajectories and risk factors in a cohort of 1,933 families between the ages of 1.5 and 6 years. RESULTS: Analyses revealed a best-fitting, 4-trajectory solution, including a prevailing, unaffected Low-Persistent group (60.2%), and three smaller groups of distinct developmental course: a High-Increasing (6.9%), a High-Decreasing (10.8%), and a Low-Increasing group (22.1%). The High-Increasing group remained high throughout the preschool years and was the only trajectory to predict teacher-assessed SA at age 6 years. Except for the High-Increasing, all trajectories showed substantial reduction in symptoms by age 6 years. The High-Increasing and High-Decreasing groups shared several early risk factors, but the former was uniquely associated with higher maternal depression, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and parental unemployment. CONCLUSIONS: Most children with high SA profile at age 1.5 years are expected to progressively recover by age 4-5. High SA at age 1.5 that persists over time deserves special attention, and may predict separation anxiety disorder. A host of child perinatal, parental and family-contextual risk factors were associated with the onset and developmental course of SA across the preschool years.

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References

2013Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 2014Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed.1978Patterns of Attachment: A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation 2013Longitudinal Patterns of Anxiety From Childhood to Adulthood: The Great Smoky Mountains Study 2000Child Behavior Checklist.2014The prognosis of common mental disorders in adolescents: a 14-year prospective cohort study 1985Brain Evolution Relating to Family, Play, and the Separation Call 2010Clinical characteristics of anxiety disordered youth

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2017Early childhood trajectories of separation anxiety: Bearing on mental health, academic achievement, and physical health from mid-childhood to preadolescence

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