Worry in children is related to perceived parental rearing and attachment

In a sample of 159 primary school children, the relationship between percei ved parental rearing behaviours and self-reported attachment style, on the one hand, and worry, on the other hand, was investigated. Children complete d (a) the EMBU, a questionnaire measuring perceptions of parental rearing b ehaviours, (b) a single-item measure of attachment style, and (c) the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C), an index of severity of wo rrying. Results showed that parental rearing behaviours, in particular reje ction and anxious rearing, were positively associated with worry. Thus, chi ldren who perceived their parents as more rejective and anxious reported hi gher levels of worry. Furthermore, self-reported attachment style appeared to be related to worry. More specifically, children who classified themselv es as avoidantly or ambivalently attached displayed higher levels of worry than did children who classified themselves as securely attached. These fin dings are consistent with the notion that family environment factors such a s parental rearing and attachment style contribute to the severity of anxie ty symptoms in children. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .