Individual, Prenatal, Perinatal, and Family Factors for Anxiety Symptoms Among Preschool Children

Abstract

Anxiety is one of the most common psychological disorders among children. Few studies have investigated the prevalence and comprehensive factors for anxiety among preschool children in China. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety and explore influential factors at multiple levels including individual, prenatal and perinatal, and family factors, associated with anxiety symptoms among preschool children. The multisite cross-sectional study was conducted in Anhui Province and included 3,636 preschool children aged 3–6 years. Anxiety symptoms of children were assessed using the Chinese version of the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale. Logistic regression analyses were performed to explore associations between factors at multiple levels and significant anxiety symptoms, and the model was validated internally using 10-fold cross-validation. Among the participants, 9.1% of children had significant anxiety symptoms. Girls reported more significant anxiety symptoms. Children's poor dietary habits, sleep disturbances, autistic tendencies, and left-behind experience; maternal poor prenatal emotional symptoms; and more caregivers' anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms among children. The result of 10-fold cross-validation indicated that the mean area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 0.78, 70.45%, 78.18%, and 71.15%, respectively. These factors were slightly different among different subtypes of anxiety symptoms. The results of this study suggested that anxiety symptoms in preschool children were prevalent, particularly in girls. Understanding early-life risk factors for anxiety is crucial, and efficient prevention and intervention strategies should be implemented in early childhood even pregnancy.

Patterns of pediatric and adolescent female genital inflammation in China: an eight-year retrospective study of 49,175 patients in China

“…A multicenter study indicated that atopic dermatitis was observed most in the1-4 years’ groups ( 21 ). Previous studies indicated a strong association between allergic disease and lichen sclerosis ( 22 , 23 ). Considering allergic factors are risk factors of lichen sclerosis, allergic problems should receive more attention in preschool girls.…”

“…A multicenter study indicated that atopic dermatitis was observed most Frontiers in Public Health 07 frontiersin.org in the1-4 years' groups (21). Previous studies indicated a strong association between allergic disease and lichen sclerosis (22,23).…”

Association between early childhood outdoor activity and anxiety symptoms in preschoolers

“…Globally, anxiety-related productivity losses are estimated at approximately $1 trillion per year [12]. Researchers suggest that preschool may be the optimal developmental window for anxiety prevention or early intervention [13,14].…”