CLP4134 Abnormal Child Psychology Unit 3 Notes Ch 7 Anxiety 1 Anxiety includes four book says 3 types of symptoms Name define and be prepared to recognize examples of all four types a What is Anxiety i Anxiety is a condition experience of being afraid 1 Anxiety is also anxious anticipation ii Four types of symptoms Reference the textbook 1 Physiological or Somatic Symptoms produces many important chemical physical effects that mobilize the body for action activation of Sympathetic NS a Chemical cardiovascular respiratory sweat gland effects b Fight Flight response produces general activation of the entire metabolism i Hot flushed b c activation takes a lot of energy 2 Behavioral symptoms avoidance faking illness related to avoidance to whatever is causing anxiety fight or flight response behavioral flight a Avoidance perpetuates anxiety despite the temporary feeling of relief i Avoidance behaviors are negatively reinforced strengthened when they are followed by a rapid reduction in anxiety eventually making it very difficult to carry out everyday activities 3 Cognitive Symptoms in my environment that I need to bring my attention to why do I feel this tension what is going on a Main purpose of fight flight is to signal possible danger immediate search for potential threat b Children can t focus on everyday tasks b c their attention is consumed by a constant search for threat or danger c Activation of cognitive system subjective feelings of apprehension nervousness difficulty concentrating and panic dread embarrassment fear consistent with 4 Emotional Symptoms thought cognitive symptoms b i e Chantelle s Terror of Being Home Alone i Reaction shows 3 out of 4 response systems 1 Physical heart pounding tensed up difficulty breathing 2 Cognitive could not think clearly 3 Behaviorally completely immobilized 2 What is the fight or flight response and what does it have to do with adaptive or normal anxiety Pathological anxiety a Why do we get anxious i Fight or Flight an immediate reaction to perceived danger or threat 1 Not useful in modern day b The Fight or Flight Response i Threatening situations body prepares to use energy ii Sympathetic NS prepares to use energy excited by hypothalamus 1 CLP4134 Abnormal Child Psychology Unit 3 Notes iii Stimulates organs iv Parasympathetic NS returns body to normal c Most anxiety symptoms are exaggerations of adaptive fight flight response or usual fight flight response in a situation where they re not useful 3 How is maladaptive anxiety i e not useful likely to be part of a disorder different from normal anxiety i e useful and not likely to be part of a disorder a Adaptive or Maladaptive b Negative Reinforcement c Adaptive vs Maladaptive Anxiety to decide if it is Adaptive or Maladaptive i Are concerns realistic ii Proportional iii Persistent iv Distress or impairment to the threat in the absence of threat 1 How is someone doing in important life areas If problems in major life areas impairment 2 a Worried about impairment distress 4 Different from book anxiety from fear and panic How are the following terms related anxiety fear panic Differentiating a Anxiety Fear Panic do NOT reference book i Anxiety includes four components 1 Emotions fear embarrassment 2 Cognitions 3 Behaviors 4 Somatic Physiological ii Panic is a specific combination of anxiety symptoms iii Fear an emotional symptom of anxiety 5 What is known about the normal expression of fear anxiety worry and rituals repetitive behaviors How can these normal expressions be differentiated from abnormal ones i e symptoms a Normal Feared Stimuli i Appropriate age ii Short duration fear is normal for most young children to come and go important to consider duration iii Absence of impairment 1 Is this maladaptive Does it cause problems iv Age patterns most fears decrease with age 1 Changed in an expected or unexpected way Expecting a decrease but it increases 2 Observe child over time b Normal Anxiety i Common 1 25 of children 2 ii Usually decrease with age iii Temperament effects i e Separation from parents taking tests responsibilities 2 CLP4134 Abnormal Child Psychology Unit 3 Notes Some have problematic anxiety but some are more adaptive 1 2 Positive Emotionality 3 Negative Emotionality a Most clearly related to anxiety disorder b Children with high NE are not more likely to develop anxiety disorder has to be a 3rd factor c Very focused on what would happen if something bad happened i e kid forgetting lines in school play i Having all the physical cognitive emotional 4 Effortful Control behavioral symptoms i a Child also has low effortful control In order to avoid symptoms he begins to play video games instead of rehearsing his lines negative reward b c his physiological symptoms and anxiety is relieved but this will lead to the event of him forgetting his lines in school play c Normal Worry i Helps anticipate real problems ii Differences in intensity iii Realistic vs Unrealistic 1 Differences in topic 2 3 d Normal Rituals Strangers school parent injury Safety school work embarrassment i Routine is useful 1 Control predictability BUT 2 May be too rigid impairment a i e Boy wants to read particular book before bed every night but what happens when they go on vacation and child reacts negatively rigid to a change in a routine 6 During what age range is separation anxiety typical How is typical adaptive separation anxiety different from pathological separation anxiety age of onset severity a Separation Anxiety i Normal 7 months to preschool After preschool Pathological 1 Develop a preference for primary care taker 2 Preschool is the first time they are separated from parent ii Can cause impairment Pathological Maladaptive 1 2 School attendance Social interactions iii Unintentionally rewarded by parents 1 Parents add something that the child likes rewarding the clinginess demonstration of anxiety from separation from the parent 7 How could separation anxiety lead to depression a Separation Anxiety Depression i Pathway to depression 3 CLP4134 Abnormal Child Psychology Unit 3 Notes 1 50 prevalence very rare to have this high of prevalence rate 2 Fewer friends 3 Fewer activities 4 Don t develop interests competence 8 No 8 9 How is separation anxiety disorder related to school refusal a Separation Anxiety School Refusal i School refusal ii Somatic complaints everyday stomach ache iii Changes in environment parent s marital status parental illness etc iv Not IQ or academic skills not an