Mother and child perceptions of child anxiety: Effects of race, health status, and stress

Abstract

Objective: To replicate race-related differences in mother and child reports of child anxiety and to test whether these race-related differences occur in healthy and chronically ill children seen in stressful and nonstressful settings. Method: Using a 2 (Informant: Mother versus Child) x 2 (Race: African versus Euro-American) x 2 (Health Status: Healthy versus Chronically III) x 2 (Setting: Medical/Dental Clinic versus Restaurant) design, we asked 167 (10- to 18-year-old) children and their mothers completed the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Results: African American children rated themselves as more anxious than Euro-American children. Mothers reported the opposite: African American mothers described their children as less anxious than Euro-American mothers described their children. For state anxiety, the Race x Informant interaction occurred only in the stressful (medical/dental clinic) setting. For trait anxiety, the Race x Informant interaction was found for chronically ill, but not healthy, children. Conclusions: Reports of child anxiety vary by informant, race, child health status, and setting.