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Anxiety profiles in children with and without developmental coordination disorder
Michelle L Pratt1, Elisabeth L Hill
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK. michelle.pratt@ucl.ac.uk
Research in Developmental Disabilities
|March 8, 2011
Summary
Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) experience higher anxiety levels, particularly in panic, social, and obsessive-compulsive domains. Individual anxiety profiles vary significantly within this group.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Disorders
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are at risk for emotional wellbeing issues.
- Previous research often used population samples, not clinically diagnosed DCD groups.
- Anxiety and individual differences in DCD have been under-examined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate anxiety levels in children with a clinical DCD diagnosis.
- To compare anxiety profiles between children with DCD and typically developing (TD) children.
- To explore the range of individual anxiety differences in the DCD group.
Main Methods:
- Parents of children with DCD (n=27) and TD children (n=35) completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Parent version (SCAS-P).
- Participants were children aged 6-15 years.
- Parental reports of child anxiety were statistically compared between the DCD and TD groups.
Main Results:
- Children with DCD reported significantly higher overall anxiety than TD children.
- The DCD group showed greater difficulties in panic/agoraphobic anxiety, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive anxiety.
- Anxiety profiles varied considerably among children with DCD.
Conclusions:
- Anxiety is a significant concern for a subset of children diagnosed with DCD.
- Findings highlight the need to consider anxiety in DCD interventions and long-term outcomes.
- The results prompt further investigation into the nature of DCD and its relationship with anxiety.
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