Sex‐related patterns of worry in secondary school pupils

Abstract

This investigation sought data concerning sex differences in the worry patterns of children. The sample comprised 182 comprehensive school pupils, 91 boys and 91 girls, between the ages of 12 years 1 month and 13 years 7 months. The Simon-Ward Worry Survey (1976) was administered in order to ascertain the frequency and intensity of worry experienced in the following areas; family, school, economic, social, personal adequacy, health, imagination and animals. Both in the frequency and intensity of worry girls scored higher than boys in the areas of family, social and imagination, but no significant differences occurred for personal adequacy, health, animal or economic factors. For both sexes the category order, from highest to lowest, was the same--family, social, school, imagination, personal adequacy, health, economic and animals.

Heritability and Prevalence of Specific Fears and Phobias in Childhood

“…These results correspond to a large number of studies demonstrating that sex differences in fears and phobias are present from school age onwards (Mcfarlane et al, 1954 ;Milne et al, 1995 ;Poulton et al, 1997 ;Simon & Ward, 1982 ;Simonoff et al, 1997 ;Verhulst et 935 FEARS AND PHOBIAS IN TWINS al. 1997).…”

“…Some studies have reported no or little difference in fearfulness between boys and girls (Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974 ;Nalven, 1970). Most studies have, however, found more fears (Mcfarlane et al, 1954 ;Poulton et al, 1997 ;Simon & Ward, 1982) and phobias (Milne et al, 1995 ;Simonoff et al, 1997 ;Verhulst et al, 1997) among girls. This sex difference is accentuated in adults (Fredrikson, Annas, Fischer, & Wik, 1996 ;Marks, 1987).…”

Salience of weight-related worries in adolescent males and females

“…Consistent with previous findings, girls in the present study reported significantly greater trait anxiety than did boys (Bledsoe, 1973;Kashani & Orvaschel, 1988;Offer et al, 1981;Simon and Ward, 1982). Moreover girls appeared to experience more generalized anxiety, as indicated by the finding that trait anxiety correlated significantly with 10 of 15 worry variables in females but with only 1 of 15 (i.e., grades) in males.…”

“…Worries of girls were compared with those of boys, and the sexes were compared on a measure of trait anxiety. Adolescent girls have been shown to be generally more anxious than boys (Bledsoe, 1973;Kashani & Orvaschel, 1988;Offer, Ostrov, & Howard, 1981;Simon & Ward, 1982) and, thus, may worry (or report worrying) more than boys about a variety of issues, in addition to weight (Drenowski & Yee, 1987;Fallon and Rozin, 1985). Weight was measured on all subjects to assess its relationship to specific worries about figure (or physique) and to trait anxiety.…”

Worldly and workaday worries: Contemporary concerns of children and young adolescents

“…The terms are often used interchangeably both in the assessment instruments and in the research reports (e.g., Francis & Ollendick, 1987;Jersild & Holmes, 1935;Lapouse & Monk, 1959). Moreover, studies purporting to examine fears yield patterns similar to those based on putative measures of worries (e.g., Simon & Ward, 1982). Levy and Guttman's (1976) findings may be especially pertinent because they asked respondents to indicate both their levels of fear and their levels of worry.…”