Parent-Rated Anxiety Symptoms in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Frequency and Association with Core Autism Symptoms and Cognitive Functioning |
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Authors: | Denis G Sukhodolsky Lawrence Scahill Kenneth D Gadow L Eugene Arnold Michael G Aman Christopher J McDougle James T McCracken Elaine Tierney Susan Williams White Luc Lecavalier Benedetto Vitiello |
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Institution: | (1) The Child Study Center, Yale University, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520, USA;(2) The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, USA;(3) The Nisonger Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA;(4) The Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA;(5) The Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA;(6) The Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA;(7) The Virginia Treatment Center for Children, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA;(8) The National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA |
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Abstract: | Background In addition to the core symptoms, children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) often exhibit other problem behaviors
such as aggression, hyperactivity, and anxiety, which can contribute to overall impairment and, therefore, become the focus
of clinical attention. Limited data are available on the prevalence of anxiety in these children. We examined frequency and
correlates of parent-rated anxiety symptoms in a large sample of children with PDD.
Methods The goals of this study were to examine the frequency and correlates of parent-rated anxiety symptoms in a sample of 171 medication-free
children with PDD who participated in two NIH-funded medication trials. Twenty items of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory
(CASI) were used to measure anxiety.
Results Forty three percent of the total sample met screening cut-off criteria for at least one anxiety disorder. Higher levels of
anxiety on the 20-item CASI scale were associated with higher IQ, the presence of functional language use, and with higher
levels of stereotyped behaviors. In children with higher IQ, anxiety was also associated with greater impairment in social
reciprocity.
Conclusion Anxiety is common in PDD and warrants consideration in clinical evaluation and treatment planning. This study suggests that
parent ratings could be a useful source of information about anxiety symptoms in this population. Some anxiety symptoms such
as phobic and social anxiety may be closer to core symptoms of PDD. Further efforts to validate tools to ascertain anxiety
are needed, as are studies to empirically test approaches to treat anxiety in PDD. |
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Keywords: | Pervasive developmental disorders Autism Anxiety Comorbid psychiatric psychopathology |
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