WORRY IN CHILDHOOD - A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE

Age-related and developmental differences in the content and process o f worry were examined in children 5 to 6, 8 to 9, and 11 to 12 years o f age. These ages were chosen to approximate three levels of cognitive development. A measure of self-concept development was also included. Results suggest that worrisome thoughts occur in children's anxious e xperiences across the age range studied. However, such thoughts were f ound to be more prevalent among children age 8 and older. Furthermore, children in the two older groups generated a significantly greater va riety of worries than 5- to 6-year-olds. These older children were als o significantly more able to elaborate the potentially negative conseq uences of selected worrisome possibilities. These findings suggest tha t the worry process may become increasingly complex in middle childhoo d. Results also supported the view that the content of children's worr ies is constrained by social-cognitive limitations reflected by their age and level of self-concept development. Worries related to physical well-being decreased significantly, while concerns about behavioral c ompetence, social evaluation and psychological well-being became more prevalent with increasing age and self-concept complexity. Implication s for a definition of worry in childhood and its role in childhood anx iety are discussed.