Worry and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Although worry is a normal cognitive process experienced by adolescents, for a significant number, it can reach intense and uncontrollable levels. If left untreated, these worries can lead to significant mental health problems that are maintained into adulthood. Adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) may be more prone to cognitive biases (that precede worry) and therefore highly vulnerable to worry. Limited research has examined worry in adolescents with NDDs; however, most studies have focused on measuring anxiety. The present research administered an instrument specifically developed to measure worry to 404 10 to 16-year-old mainstream school-aged adolescents, 204 (123 males, 81 females) of whom had a formally diagnosed NDD. A measure of depressive symptoms was also administered. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a satisfactory fitting model for worry. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed no interaction effects or main effect for worry according to NDD/non-NDD status. There were, however, main effects for sex, with females scoring significantly higher than males on worry about academic success and the future; worry about peer relationships; combined worry score; and depressive symptoms. The findings of this study offer psychologists and educators a brief validated measure of worry that is suited to mainstream school adolescents with or without NDDs. The wider implications of the findings in the context of education and intervention for students with NDDs are discussed.