A longitudinal examination of factors predicting anxiety during the transition to middle school

Abstract

The transition from elementary to middle or junior high school is commonly regarded as a period of stress and turmoil for young adolescents, and has been associated with changes in anxiety and other psychological problems. However, less is known about risk and resilience factors that may predict these changes. This study examined changes in anxiety, as well as predictors of these changes among 77, predominantly Caucasian (88%), male and female (52%) adolescents from Grades 6 to 8. Repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to examine the predicted grade and gender differences. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the prediction of eighth grade anxiety symptoms by sixth grade self-worth, perceived social acceptance, and social support, as well as the potential moderating role of gender in these relations. Results suggested a significant decrease in anxiety, particularly social anxiety, over this period for boys but not girls. Examination of predictors of changes in anxiety suggested that, in general, global self-worth, social acceptance, and gender were each associated with overall and social anxiety. Findings are integrated with extant literature on developmental changes associated with anxiety and school transitions and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Primary School Children's Peer Relationships: Discrepancies in Self-Perceived Social Acceptance in Children with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

“…Moreover, our results are in line with a study arguing that social acceptance is a predictor associated with anxiety in children during the transition from elementary to middle school (Grills-Taquechel, Norton, & Ollendick, 2010).…”

Pubertal Timing, Peer Victimization, and Body Esteem Differentially Predict Depressive Symptoms in African American and Caucasian Girls

“…Forty-eight percent of the current sample reported at least one occurrence of peer relational victimization during the follow-up period, which is consistent with several studies of relational victimization among adolescents (e.g., Bond, Carlin, Thomas, Rubin, & Patton, 2001), but slightly lower than others (e.g., Ellis, Crooks, & Wolfe, 2009). In addition, means for depressive symptoms were slightly lower, but comparable with those reported in other studies conducted with community samples of early adolescents (Gibb & Alloy, 2006; Grills-Taquechel, Norton, & Ollendick, 2009; McLaughlin, Hatzenbuehler, & Hilt, 2009). …”

Externalizing Problem Behavior in Adolescence: Dopaminergic Genes in Interaction with Peer Acceptance and Rejection

“…Experiences of being liked or accepted by peers, on the other hand, have been associated with more prosocial behavior, high academic competence, and low levels of loneliness (e.g., Gorman et al 2011). Further, being accepted by peers seems to be a protective factor in relation to externalizing or internalizing problems (e.g., Grills-Taquechel et al 2010;Sentse et al 2010). In contrast, some studies have found that being accepted by peers can also enhance problem behavior (e.g., Allen et al 2005;Veronneau and Dishion 2010).…”