Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders affecting children and adolescents and negatively affect children's functioning in a variety of domains. Unfortunately, Latin American children and adolescents are at risk for developing anxiety problems (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2001), yet only minimal information is known about the etiology and maintenance of anxiety in this population. This is a serious problem considering that Latin Americans are the largest, and rapidly growing, ethnic minority group in the United States, including over 12 million children and adolescents. Studies that can ultimately inform psychosocial and cognitive interventions and preventive measures for anxiety disorders in Latin American children, by for example, identifying relevant cultural and contextual variables that may serve to protect or place such children at risk are critically needed in the literature. To address this gap in the literature, the proposed research targets two risk factors in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders, children's cognitive biases and parenting practices, in the context of Latino cultural phenomena. The research in this proposal has three basic aims. First, the proposed research examines if parenting practices associated with anxiety in white non-Latino populations are relevant to anxiety development in Latin American children. Second, the study examines whether cognitive biases associated with anxiety in white non-Latino children are relevant to anxiety development in Latin American children. Third, the project explores how Latino cultural values and practices are related to anxiety development in Latin American children. These questions will be examined in Latin American youth who are 7-13 years old with and without anxiety disorders. The methodology includes culturally valid self-report and family interactive tasks. The proposed research has the potential to make a significant contribution in our understanding of anxiety related social cognitive mechanisms in Latin American children and ultimately inform interventions and preventive strategies for this population.
| Varela, R Enrique; Niditch, Laura A; Hensley-Maloney, Lauren et al. (2013) Parenting practices, interpretive biases, and anxiety in Latino children. J Anxiety Disord 27:171-7 |
| Niditch, Laura A; Varela, R Enrique (2011) Mother-child disagreement in reports of child anxiety: effects of child age and maternal anxiety. J Anxiety Disord 25:450-5 |
