Anxiety disorders in 8–11‐year‐old children: Motor skill performance and self‐perception of competence

Abstract

Ekornås, B., Lundervold, A. J., Tjus, T. & Heimann, M. (2010). Anxiety disorders in 8–11‐year‐old children: Motor skill performance and self‐perception of competence. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 271–277. This study investigates motor skill performance and self‐perceived competence in children with anxiety disorders compared with children without psychiatric disorders. Motor skills and self‐perception were assessed in 329 children aged 8 to 11 years, from the Bergen Child Study. The Kiddie‐SADS PL diagnostic interview was employed to define a group of children with an anxiety disorder without comorbid diagnosis, and a control group (no diagnosis) matched according to gender, age, and full‐scale IQ. Children in the anxiety disorder group displayed impaired motor skills and poor self‐perceived peer acceptance and physical competence compared with the control group. Two‐thirds of the anxious boys scored on the Motor Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) as having motor problems. The present study demonstrated impaired motor skills in boys with “pure” anxiety disorders. Anxious children also perceived themselves as being less accepted by peers and less competent in physical activities compared with children in the control group.

Motor skills as a predictor of adaptive behaviour of pupils – pilot study

“…Piek, Barrett, Smith, Rigoli and Gasson (2010) in their research on children aged 4 years indicate the level of motor skills as a predictor of anxiety/depressive symptoms at school age. Similar conclusions were drawn on older children by Mancini, Rigoli, Heritage, Roberts and Piek (2016) and Ekornas, Lundervold, Tjus and Heimann (2010).…”

Psychiatric Symptoms in Children With Gross Motor Problems

“…In agreement with Ekornäs, Lundervold, Tjus, and Heimann (2010), our sample scored rather low on self-perceived athletic competence and social acceptance relative to other competence domains measured, but global self-worth was not affected. Furthermore, the children reported feeling quite competent with respect to scholastic performance and behavioral conduct.…”

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

“…In contrast, children who suffer from emotional disorders commonly display a negative self-perception of social acceptance (Chansky & Kendall, 1997;Ekornås, Lundervold, Tjus, & Heimann, 2010). The participants in previous studies examining the association between selfperceived social acceptance and psychopathology in youth have mainly been recruited from clinical and case-control samples.…”