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ERIC Number: EJ1443560
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Dec
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-1890
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3319
Available Date: N/A
Exposure to COVID-19 Disruptions Moderates the Effect of Temperament on Anxiety in Preschool-Age Children
Madelaine R. Abel; Yael G. Dai; Aude Henin; Alice S. Carter; Antonia L. Hamilton; Mikayla Ver Pault; Jordan Holmén; Dina R. Hirshfeld-Becker
Child & Youth Care Forum, v53 n6 p1251-1270 2024
Background: Both child temperament (specifically high shyness and fear) and environmental stressors like the COVID-19 pandemic are known to confer risk for elevated anxiety symptoms in children. However, few studies have examined the long-term impact of the pandemic on young children's anxiety. Objective: We examined the moderating effects of disruptions experienced during the early months of the pandemic on the longitudinal association between shy and fearful temperament at age 2 pre-pandemic and anxiety symptoms in the year following the start of the pandemic. Methods: Participants were 125 parents of toddlers (M[subscript age] = 26 months, 54% girls, 80% White) who were participating in an ongoing anxiety screening study when the pandemic started in 2020. Shy and fearful temperament were assessed pre-pandemic at age 2 years using the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire and anxiety symptoms were assessed within the first post-pandemic year (at ages 3 or 4) using the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale. Parents completed the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory at the start of the pandemic to assess types of disruptions experienced. Results: Shyness predicted higher anxiety symptoms among children whose parents experienced more work-related disruptions. Fear was associated with higher anxiety symptoms at lower levels of social activities disruption but was unrelated to anxiety symptoms at high levels of these disruptions. Conclusions: Results suggest that anxious temperament may serve as a meaningful screening target for identifying the children most in need of support during times of major stress.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A