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Internal representations: predicting anxiety from children's play narratives.

S L Warren1, R N Emde, L A Sroufe

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA. psyslw@gwumc.edu

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|January 19, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Children’s negative expectations in play narratives predict later childhood anxiety symptoms. This finding suggests that internal representations can be an early risk factor for anxiety development.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Childhood anxiety disorders represent a significant public health concern.
  • Early identification of risk factors is crucial for timely intervention.
  • Internal representations of self and experiences may play a role in anxiety development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if specific internal representations in children's narrative play predict later anxiety.
  • To explore the predictive validity of negative expectations in story-stem narratives.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 35 nonclinical children from ages 5 to 6.
  • Analysis of children's story-stem play narratives coded for negative expectations.
  • Use of parent/teacher reports (Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher's Report Form) and maternal diagnostic interviews (Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children) to assess anxiety symptoms.

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Main Results:

  • Five-year-old children's negative expectations significantly predicted teacher/parent-reported internalizing and anxiety symptoms at age 6.
  • Negative expectations predicted specific anxiety diagnoses, including separation anxiety and social phobia.
  • Child negative expectations were stronger predictors of later anxiety than parental anxiety or child temperament.

Conclusions:

  • Negative expectations in early childhood narratives may serve as a risk factor or mechanism for developing later anxiety.
  • Children's narrative play offers a valuable tool for assessing internal representations and identifying at-risk children.
  • Early identification through narrative analysis can inform targeted prevention strategies for childhood anxiety.