FAMILY ENHANCEMENT OF COGNITIVE-STYLE IN ANXIOUS AND AGGRESSIVE-CHILDREN

Previous research has shown that anxious adults provide more threat in terpretations of ambiguous stimuli than other clinic and nonclinic per sons. We were interested in investigating if the same bias occurs in a nxious children and how family processes impact on these children's in terpretations of ambiguity. Anxious, oppositional, and nonclinical chi ldren and their parents were asked separately to interpret and provide plans of action to ambiguous scenarios. Afterwards, Each family was a sked to discuss two of these situations as a family and for the child to provide a final response. The results showed that anxious and oppos itional children were both more likely to interpret ambiguous scenario s in a threatening manner. However, the two clinic groups differed in that the anxious children predominantly chose avoidant solutions where as the oppositional children chose aggressive solutions. After family discussions, both the anxious children's avoidant plans of action and the oppositional children's aggressive plans increased. Thus this stud y provides the first evidence of family enhancement of avoidant and ag gressive responses in children. These results support a model of anxie ty that emphasizes the development of an anxious cognitive style in th e context of anxiety-supporting family processes..