Anxiety in preadolescent children: what happens if we don’t treat it, and what happens if we do?

In this paper, we review the area of anxiety in children under the age of 11 years. We explore the literature examining the continuity of anxiety symptoms and behavioral inhibition when they appear in children of this age, and show that when these are present, there is a high likelihood of significant anxiety in later childhood, adolescence, and beyond. We then focus on the growing area of treatment research. We show that there are a number of promising new avenues for managing anxiety disorders in this young age group. Many of these interventions involve a key role for parents in the treatment process, but others have demonstrated success employing modified cognitive behavior therapy directed at the child. Limitations to the conclusions, caused by the limited amounts research, small sample sizes and significant methodological difficulties, are discussed.