Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T12:17:33.181Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

School connectedness and child anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2020

Paige J. Pikulski ,
Jeffrey E. Pella Open the ORCID record for Jeffrey E. Pella [Opens in a new window] ,
Elizabeth P. Casline ,
Amy E. Hale ,
Kelly Drake  and
Golda S. Ginsburg
Paige J. Pikulski
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Jeffrey E. Pella*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Elizabeth P. Casline
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
Amy E. Hale
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Kelly Drake
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The Johns Hopkins University, and Anxiety Treatment Center of Maryland, Maryland, USA
Golda S. Ginsburg
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Poor school connectedness (SC), defined as students’ feelings of belonging, safety, and fairness at school, is a risk factor for negative psychosocial outcomes. Few studies have examined the specific relationship between SC and anxiety. This study examined the relation between SC and anxiety within a group of 114 clinically anxious youth (mean age = 10.82; SD = 2.93; 48.2% female; 70.2% White, non-Hispanic); age differences were also examined. Results indicated that SC was significantly negatively associated with age but unrelated to gender, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, parent education, or presence of a comorbid disorder. Findings generally revealed that low SC was associated with greater total and domain specific anxiety. SC may play a unique role in the maintenance of global and domain specific anxiety symptoms.

Keywords

school-connectednesschild anxiety
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , June 2020 , pp. 13 - 24
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderman, E.M. (2002). School effects on psychological outcomes during adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94,795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Achenbach, T.M., & Rescorla, L.A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Benjamini, Y., & Hochberg, Y. (1995). Controlling the false discovery rate: A practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 57, 289–300.Google Scholar
Birmaher, B., Brent, D.A., Chiappetta, L., Bridge, J., Monga, S., & Baugher, M. (1999). Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): A replication study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 1230–1236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Birmaher, B., Khetarpal, S., Brent, D., Cully, M., Balach, L., Kaufman, J., & Neer, S.M. (1997). The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): Scale construction and psychometric characteristics. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 545–553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blöte, A.W., Duvekot, J., Schalk, R.D., Tuinenburg, E.M., & Westenberg, P.M. (2010). Nervousness and performance characteristics as predictors of peer behavior towards socially anxious adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 1498–1507.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blum, R.W. (2005). A case for school connectedness. Educational Leadership, 62, 16–20.Google Scholar
Bond, L., Butler, H., Thomas, L., Carlin, J., Glover, S., Bowes, G., & Patton, G. (2007). Social and school connectedness in early secondary school as predictors of late teenage substance use, mental health, and academic outcomes. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40, 357–e359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bonny, A.E., Britto, M.T., Klostermann, B.K., Hornung, R.W., & Slap, G.B. (2000). School disconnectedness: Identifying adolescents at risk. Pediatrics, 106, 1017–1021.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chapman, R.L., Buckley, L., Sheehan, M., & Shochet, I. (2013). School-based programs for increasing connectedness and reducing risk behavior: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Review, 25, 95–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/protective/pdf/connectedness.pdfGoogle Scholar
Costello, E.J., Egger, H., & Angold, A. (2005). 10-year research update review: The epidemiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders: I. Methods and public health burden. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 972–986.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, T.E., Ollendick, T.H., & Nebel-Schwalm, M. (2008). Intellectual ability and achievement in anxiety-disordered children: A clarification and extension of the literature. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 30, 43–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duchesne, S., Vitaro, F., Larose, S., & Tremblay, R.E. (2008). Trajectories of anxiety during elementary-school years and the prediction of high school noncompletion. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 1134–1146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dwyer, S.B., Nicholson, J.M., & Battistutta, D. (2006). Parent and teacher identification of children at risk of developing internalising or externalising mental health problems: A comparison of screening methods. Prevention Science, 7, 343–357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Furlong, M.J., O’Brennan, L.M., & You, S. (2011). Psychometric properties of the ADD Health School Connectedness Scale for 18 sociocultural groups. Psychology in the Schools, 48, 986–997.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, J.G., Comer, J.S., Donaldson, A.R., Elkins, R.M., Nadeau, M.S., Reid, G., & Pincus, D.B. (2016). School functioning and use of school-based accommodations by treatment-seeking anxious children. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 25, 220–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guy, W. (1976). ECDEU assessment manual for psychopharmacology (Vol. 76, No. 338). US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, National Institute of Mental Health, Psychopharmacology Research Branch, Division of Extramural Research Programs.Google Scholar
Hansen, C., Sanders, S.L., Massaro, S., & Last, C.G. (1998). Predictors of severity of absenteeism in children with anxiety-based school refusal. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 246–254.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hofmann, S.G., Albano, A.M., Heimberg, R.G., Tracey, S., Chorpita, B.F., & Barlow, D.H. (1999). Subtypes of social phobia in adolescents. Depression and Anxiety, 9, 15–18.3.0.CO;2-6>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kearney, C.A. (2008). School absenteeism and school refusal behavior in youth: A contemporary review. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 451–471.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuperminc, G.P., Leadbeater, B.J., & Blatt, S.J. (2001). School social climate and individual differences in vulnerability to psychopathology among middle school students. Journal of School Psychology, 39, 141–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langille, D.B., Asbridge, M., Cragg, A., & Rasic, D. (2015). Associations of school connectedness with adolescent suicidality: Gender differences and the role of risk of depression. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 60, 258–267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Langley, A.K., Bergman, R.L., McCracken, J., & Piacentini, J.C. (2004). Impairment in childhood anxiety disorders: Preliminary examination of the Child Anxiety Impact Scale – Parent Version. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 14, 105–114.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lester, L. & Cross, D. (2015). The relationship between school climate and mental and emotional wellbeing over the transition from primary to secondary school. Psychology of Well-Being, 5, 1–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lester, L., Waters, S., & Cross, D. (2013). The relationship between school connectedness and mental health during the transition to secondary school: A path analysis. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 23, 157–171.Google Scholar
Libbey, H.P. (2004). Measuring student relationships to school: Attachment, bonding, connectedness, and engagement. Journal of School Health, 74, 274–283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loukas, A., Cance, J.D., & Batanova, M. (2016). Trajectories of school connectedness across the middle school years: Examining the roles of adolescents’ internalising and externalising problems. Youth & Society, 48, 557–576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loukas, A., Suzuki, R., & Horton, K.D. (2006). Examining school connectedness as a mediator of school climate effects. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16, 491–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNeely, C.A., Nonnemaker, J.M., & Blum, R.W. (2002). Promoting school connectedness: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Journal of School Health, 72, 138–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Monahan, K.C., Oesterle, S., & Hawkins, J.D. (2010). Predictors and consequences of school connectedness: The case for prevention. The Prevention Researcher, 17, 3–6.Google Scholar
Muris, P., & Field, A.P. (2008). Distorted cognition and pathological anxiety in children and adolescents. Cognition and Emotions, 22, 395–421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mychailyszyn, M.P., Mendez, J.L., & Kendall, P.C. (2010). School functioning in youth with and without anxiety disorders: Comparisons by diagnosis and comorbidity. School Psychology Review, 39, 106–121.Google Scholar
National School Climate Council. (2007). The school climate challenge: Narrowing the gap between school climate research and school climate policy, practice guidelines and teacher education policy. Retrieved from http://www.ecs.org/school-climateGoogle Scholar
Resnick, M.D., Bearman, P.S., Blum, R.W., Bauman, K.E., Harris, K.M., Jones, J., … Ireland, M. (1997). Protecting adolescents from harm: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health. JAMA, 278, 823–832.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rice, M., Kang, D.H., Weaver, M., & Howell, C.C. (2008). Relationship of anger, stress, and coping with school connectedness in fourth grade children. Journal of School Health, 78, 149–156.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Research Unit on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP). (2002). Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale: Scale description and psychometric properties. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41, 1061–1069.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silverman, W.K., & Albano, A.M. (1996). The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children for DSM-IV-Child and Parent Versions. San Antonio, TX: Graywind Publications.Google Scholar
Silverman, W.K., Kurtines, W.M., Ginsburg, G.S., Weems, C.F., Lumpkin, P.W., & Carmichael, D.H. (1999). Treating anxiety disorders in children with group cognitive-behavioral therapy: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 995–1003.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silverman, W.K., Kurtines, W.M., Ginsburg, G.S., Weems, C.F., Rabian, B., & Serafini, L.T. (1999). Contingency management, self-control, and education support in the treatment of childhood phobic disorders: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 675–687.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silverman, W.K., Saavedra, L.M., & Pina, A.A. (2001). Test-retest reliability of anxiety symptoms and diagnoses with the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV-Child and Parent Versions. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 937–944.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shochet, I.M., Dadds, M.R., Ham, D., & Montague, R. (2006). School connectedness is an underemphasized parameter in adolescent mental health: Results of a community prediction study. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 35, 170–179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swan, A.J., & Kendall, P.C. (2016). Fear and missing out: Youth anxiety and functional outcomes. Clinical Psychology, 23, 417–435.Google Scholar
Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Guffey, S., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2013). A review of school climate research. Review of Educational Research, 83, 357–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walkup, J.T., Albano, A.M., Piacentini, J., Birmaher, B., Compton, S.N., Sherrill, J.T., … Kendall, P.C. (2008). Cognitive behavioral therapy, Sertraline, or a combination in childhood anxiety. The New England Journal of Medicine, 359, 2753–2766.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wang, M.-T., & Degol, J.L. (2016). School climate: a Review of the construct, measurement, and impact on student outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 28, 315–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waters, S., & Cross, D. (2010). Measuring students’ connectedness to school, teachers, and family: Validation of three scales. School Psychology Quarterly, 25, 164–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitlock, J.L. (2006). Youth perceptions of life at school: Contextual correlates of school connectedness in adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 10, 13–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodward, L.J., & Fergusson, D.M. (2001). Life course outcomes of young people with anxiety disorders in adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1086–1093.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed