Antecedents and Moderators of Anxiety Disorders in a Community Sample of Italian Children Aged Eight to 10 Years Old

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common forms of psychopathology in youth, with a prevalence ranging from 5% to 25% worldwide (Brown & Barlow, 2009). Literature has usually investigated anxiety disorder according to developmental trends, issues for treatment and etiological aspects (Ollendick & March, 2004). Nevertheless, in the large amount of studies, there is a gap in identifying how the different subtypes of anxiety interact. In a large community sample of Italian children aged eight to ten years old, the aim of this study was to empirically validate a developmental-diagnostic model of anxiety disorders through a structural equation model (SEM) approach. Antecedents and moderators of anxiety disorders have been identified. Participants completed the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory for Children (SASI-C), the Separation Anxiety Assessment Scale (SAAS-C), the Fear Survey Schedule for Children Revised-Italian Version (FSSC-IT), the Spence Children Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The model of path analysis reported showed a good fit on data highlighting implication for the use of these measures as a screening battery for anxiety disorder in childhood