Childhood anxiety: integrating developmental psychopathology and affective neuroscience

This article reviews progress in research on childhood phobia, generalized anxiety, and separation anxiety disorders from the perspectives of developmental psychopathology and affective neuroscience. These perspectives represent two organizing theoretical schools in the realms of clinical and basic science research. Studies in developmental psychopathology suggest the need to identify specific subgroups of children with one of these anxiety disorders who are particularly at risk for anxiety disorders in adulthood. Studies in affective neuroscience suggest potential neurobiological avenues for identifying such children who face a particularly high risk for chronic anxiety disorders.