The mediating effect of cognitive development on children's worry elaboration

Rebecca Grist; Andy Field

doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2011.11.002

The mediating effect of cognitive development on children's worry elaboration

Rebecca Grist
, Andy Field

University of Brighton

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The present study investigated how developmentally determined cognitive mechanisms, holding theoretical links to the worry process, mediate the relationship between Age and Worry Elaboration in children. Sixty-four children aged 3–7 (M=5.58,SD=1.28) were presented with a Conservation of Liquid task assessing their Cognitive Development (specifically Concrete Operational Skills), a false-belief task to measure possession of Belief–Desire Theory of Mind, and a task measuring the ability to acknowledge multiple possibilities. The ability to elaborate on potential negative outcomes was assessed using a Worry Elaboration task. Mediation analysis revealed that all three variables significantly mediated the relationship between Age and Worry Elaboration. A multiple mediation model is presented in which Concrete Operational Skills, Belief–Desire Theory of Mind and Multiple Possibilities understanding mediate the relationship between Age and Worry Elaboration.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	801-807
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
Volume	43
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2011.11.002
Publication status	Published - 26 Nov 2011

Keywords

Cognitive development
Worry
GAD

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AB - The present study investigated how developmentally determined cognitive mechanisms, holding theoretical links to the worry process, mediate the relationship between Age and Worry Elaboration in children. Sixty-four children aged 3–7 (M=5.58,SD=1.28) were presented with a Conservation of Liquid task assessing their Cognitive Development (specifically Concrete Operational Skills), a false-belief task to measure possession of Belief–Desire Theory of Mind, and a task measuring the ability to acknowledge multiple possibilities. The ability to elaborate on potential negative outcomes was assessed using a Worry Elaboration task. Mediation analysis revealed that all three variables significantly mediated the relationship between Age and Worry Elaboration. A multiple mediation model is presented in which Concrete Operational Skills, Belief–Desire Theory of Mind and Multiple Possibilities understanding mediate the relationship between Age and Worry Elaboration.

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JF - Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

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The mediating effect of cognitive development on children's worry elaboration

Abstract

Keywords

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