The nature of feared outcome representations in anxious and non-anxious children

This study examined whether wording changes in a self-report anxiety scale for children were better able to distinguish anxious from non-anxious children than traditional wording. The study also explored whether phrasing the items as either stimulus or consequences (outcomes) of events, would give a better assessment of fear and anxiety in children and adolescents. The four questionnaires were administered to an anxiety- disordered group and a non-anxious group of children aged from 6 to 15 years. Anxious children reported that they thought more about negative outcomes than non- anxious children. However, there were no differences in scores between the two groups using stimulus items. While all children regarded negative physical consequences as aversive, anxiety-disordered children rated negative social outcomes as more aversive than did non-anxious children. None of the measures discriminated between the different anxiety disorders. Implications for children's self-report data on anxiety are discussed.