Improving the Prediction of Risk for Anxiety Development in Temperamentally Fearful Children

Abstract

Pediatric anxiety disorders are among the most common disorders in children and adolescents, resulting in both short-term and long-term negative consequences across social, academic, and other domains. Early fearful temperament has emerged as a strong predictor of anxiety development in childhood; however, not all fearful children become anxious. The current article summarizes theory and evidence for heterogeneity among children identified as temperamentally fearful and trajectories of risk for anxiety. The findings presented in this article reveal that identification of subgroups of fearful temperament improves prediction of who is at risk for developing anxiety problems.