Teachers’ Knowledge of Anxiety and Identification of Excessive Anxiety in Children

Abstract

This study examined primary school teachers' knowledge of anxiety and excessive anxiety symptoms in children. Three hundred and fifteen primary school teachers completed a questionnaire exploring their definitions of anxiety and the indications they associated with excessive anxiety in primary school children. Results showed that teachers had an understanding of what anxiety was in general but did not consistently distinguish normal anxiety from excessive anxiety, often defining all anxiety as a negative experience. Teachers were able to identify symptoms of excessive anxiety in children by recognizing anxiety-specific and general problem indications. The results provided preliminary evidence that teachers' knowledge of anxiety and anxiety disorders does not appear to be a barrier in preventing children's referrals for mental health treatment. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Guidance teachers’ and support staff's experience of working with pupils with mental health difficulties in two secondary schools: an IPA study

“…The guidance teachers' and support staff's accounts within this study highlight the emotional effects they experienced while offering pastoral support and managing pupils with mental health problems. The results of the present study reinforce the conclusions of Headley and Campbell (2013) and suggest that school teachers are in a unique position to be able to identify mental health problems in their students and are now tasked with acting as the 'frontline mental health professionals' (Gott, 2003;Rothi & Leavey, 2006). Also consistent with previous research conducted by Visser, Koot and Verhulst (1999), this study showed that some of the guidance teachers and support staff worried about correctly identifying pupils with mental health problems.…”

“…Most schools acknowledge their responsibility for being responsive to mental health problems (Headley & Campbell, 2013). The Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) programme report (Wolpert et al, 2011) found that what is actually being implemented on the ground in the UK, is a diverse range of interventions varying widely from school to school, encompassing governmentfunded as well as voluntary sector counselling initiatives such as Place2Be, parenting interventions and whole-school initiatives (Corboy & McDonald, 2007;Hoover-Dempsey et al, 2005).…”

Exploring Anxiety at Home, School, and in the Community Through Self‐Report From Children on the Autism Spectrum

“…Only 40–50% of the children in this study felt that others were able to recognize when they were anxious at school or in community settings. While there is evidence to suggest that teachers are relatively accurate in identifying and understanding anxiety in typically developing students [Headley & Campbell, ], this ability may not translate to identifying anxiety in students on the spectrum due to the presence of both typical and atypical symptoms and the possibility of diagnostic overshadowing [e.g., Kerns & Kendall, ]. The potentially complex interaction of anxiety and autism may mean that many teachers do not feel confident in making informed decisions about what are age‐appropriate or autism‐related behaviors and what are normal variations of behavior and/or mental health within the context of autism [Kerns & Kendall, ; Wood & Gadow, ] and consequently respond differently to the same behavior depending on whether or not the child has a diagnosis on the spectrum [Adams, McDonald, & Keen, ].…”

Teachers’ recognition of anxiety and somatic symptoms in their pupils

“…In a more direct attempt to answer the question of how teachers identify anxiety in pupils, Headley and Campbell () sent 315 Australian primary school teachers a questionnaire asking teachers two open‐ended questions, “What is anxiety?” and “How would you tell if a child in your classroom was excessively anxious?” The teachers in the study identified avoidance behaviors, perfectionism, social problems, shyness, distress in changes to routine, reassurance seeking, crying and physical complaints as signs of excessive anxiety, as well as a decrease in academic performance, problematic peer relationships, and general changes in behavior. More recently, Hinchliffe and Campbell (2015) in Australia, interviewed 20 teachers in two Australian primary schools to discern why they made child referrals for excessive anxiety.…”