Positive thinking in anxiety disordered children reconsidered

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Child psychology
• Clinical psychology

Background:

• Negative thoughts are central to anxiety development and maintenance.
• The role of positive thoughts in anxiety remains unclear.
• Cognitive models of anxiety primarily focus on negative cognitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of negative and positive self-statements in childhood anxiety.
• To compare thought patterns in anxious versus non-anxious children.
• To determine the predictive power of thought patterns on anxiety levels.

Main Methods:

• Study included 139 children with anxiety disorders and 293 non-anxious children, aged 8-18 years.
• Assessed negative and positive self-statements and calculated State of Mind (SOM) ratios.
• Utilized regression analyses to identify predictors of anxiety levels.

Main Results:

• Anxious children reported significantly more negative thoughts and fewer positive thoughts than non-anxious children.
• Anxious children exhibited lower State of Mind (SOM) ratios compared to non-anxious peers.
• Negative thoughts and SOM ratios were key predictors of anxiety in anxious children; both positive and negative thoughts predicted anxiety in non-anxious children.

Conclusions:

• A deficit in positive thinking may be a significant factor in childhood anxiety, not just a byproduct.
• The findings suggest positive thoughts warrant inclusion in cognitive models of anxiety.
• Understanding the balance of positive and negative thoughts is crucial for addressing childhood anxiety.