Emotional reactivity and executive control: A pathway of risk for the development of childhood worry

Though risk factors associated with the development of anxiety have been examined, less is known about childhood worry. Current literature suggests that adult worriers may be more likely to avoid increases in negative affect (emotional contrast avoidance), and less likely to effectively regulate their emotions. The current study tested a mediational model to examine the role of emotional and attentional control in the relation between emotional reactivity and child worry. Participants were 99 children between 7 and 10 years old, and their parents, from a community sample. Parents completed measures of child temperament and executive function, and children completed a measure of worry. Overall the data supported the study hypotheses. Child temperaments rated as low in soothability were significantly related to higher worry symptoms. Attentional shift and emotional control acted as serial mediators in the relation between temperament and worry, and fully mediated the relation. These findings suggest a model for the development of childhood worry that combines emotional contrast avoidance and emotional dysregulation.