Academia.eduAcademia.edu
European Journal of Special Education Research ISSN: 2501 - 2428 ISSN-L: 2501 - 2428 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu Volume 2 │ Issue 6 │ 2017 doi: 10.5281/zenodo.852516 FACTORS INFLUENCING THE OCCURRENCE OF ANXIETY LEVELS IN CHILDHOOD AND COPING STRATEGIES Alexander-Stamatios Antoniou1i, Vasileios Karteris2 Assistant Professor, Department of Primary Education, 1 National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece Special Education Teacher, Athens, Greece 2 Abstract: Anxiety disorders in childhood constitute a serious phenomenon nowadays, as they impede academic and social functioning, such as school performance, social-emotional development and interaction with the family environment. In order to minimize or overcome abnormal stress, children may develop several coping strategies. The current study examined the occurrence of anxiety disorders in childhood, as well as the use of coping strategies in relation to various demographic data. 461 students of 5th and 6th Primary School Grade participated in the study which was conducted in urban and suburban areas of Greece. Two scales were used a The Spence’s Anxiety Scale SCAS , which examines anxiety disorders in childhood and b Brodzinsky’s Coping Scale for Children and Youth, which detects stress coping strategies. The results showed that gender and the educational level of the mother were significantly related to both of these concepts, whilst age was related to anxiety disorders. Keywords: anxiety disorders coping strategies gender age mother’s educational level Introduction Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorder in childhood and are associated with impairments in intellectual, social and academic progress, as anxietydisordered children experience significantly more negative life events than non-anxious Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 1 Alexander-Stamatios Antoniou, Vasileios Karteris FACTORS INFLUENCING THE OCCURRENCE OF ANXIETY LEVELS IN CHILDHOOD AND COPING STRATEGIES children (Legerstee, Garnefski, Jellesma, Verhulst, & Utens, 2010). Epidemiological studies based on large samples of children estimate the prevalence of anxiety disorders in childhood at rates ranging between 10% and 20% (Breinholst, Esbjorn, ReinholdtDunne, & Stallard, 2012; Keeley & Storch, 2009; Kendall et al., 2010). Although not all studies are in agreement, the occurrence of these disorders in girls appears to be observed more frequently than in boys (Riedford, 2010). In order to deal with uncomfortable situations in a child’s everyday life, certain psychological coping mechanisms are activated, that moderate the relationship between stress and well-being (Fedorowicz, 1995; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Pereda, Forns, Kirchner, & Munoz, 2009). These mechanisms, known as coping strategies or coping skills, are regarded as the conscious, cognitive and behavioral efforts to address special external or internal challenges (personal and interpersonal problems), with the aim of total suppression, minimization or simple tolerance of anxiety causes (Camisasca, Caravita Milani, & Di Blasio, 2012; Carver & Connor, 2010; Fedorowicz, 1995). Although the coping strategies applied to stressful situations are considered very important for the mental well-being of children, most studies have dealt with mechanisms developed by adults; therefore, the theories applied to children are based on the literature for adults (Fedorowicz, 1995). For downloading the full article, please access the following link: https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejse/article/view/989 European Journal of Special Education Research - Volume 2 │ Issue 6 │ 2017 2