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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
Published on: September 11, 2021
Worry and problem-solving skills and beliefs in primary school children
Monika Parkinson1, Cathy Creswell
1Berkshire Child Anxiety Clinic, University of Reading, UK. m.b.parkinson@reading.ac.uk
Objective:
To examine the association between worry and problem-solving skills and beliefs (confidence and perceived control) in primary school children.
Method:
Children (8-11 years) were screened using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children. High (N= 27) and low (N= 30) scorers completed measures of anxiety, problem-solving skills (generating alternative solutions to problems, planfulness, and effectiveness of solutions) and problem-solving beliefs (confidence and perceived control).
Results:
High and low worry groups differed significantly on measures of anxiety and problem-solving beliefs (confidence and control) but not on problem-solving skills.
Conclusions:
Consistent with findings with adults, worry in children was associated with cognitive distortions, not skills deficits. Interventions for worried children may benefit from a focus on increasing positive problem-solving beliefs.
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