A comparative study of children's worries

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Childhood Anxiety Studies
• Social and Economic Impact on Youth

Background:

• Original 1930s research identified key childhood worries.
• Concerns about family and school, particularly test failure, were prominent.
• Need to reassess childhood anxieties in contemporary socio-economic contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To replicate and update Pinter and Lev's 1939 study on children's worries.
• To investigate the influence of changing societal conditions on youth anxieties.
• To compare worry patterns between the 1930s and 1970s.

Main Methods:

• Administered an augmented Pinter and Lev Worries Inventory in 1977.
• Surveyed 645 fifth and sixth graders in rural and urban New York.
• Compared results with the original 1939 study data.

Main Results:

• Failing a test remained the most significant worry for children.
• 1977 children reported increased worries about safety (robbers, kidnappers, strangers).
• Family death emerged as a significantly higher concern in 1977 compared to 1939.

Conclusions:

• Academic pressures persist as a primary source of childhood anxiety.
• External threats and safety concerns have notably increased among children.
• Shifting societal factors significantly impact the nature and prevalence of childhood worries.