Determining Interactive and Individual Characteristics of Preschool Children with Anxiety Disorders Based on Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship Based Model (DIR)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Professor, Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

4 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the interactive and individual characteristics of preschool children with anxiety disorders based on developmental, individual differences, relationship-based model.
 
Method: The research method was concurrent-nested mixed. The statistical population of the study was all 4 to 6 years old children who were diagnosed with anxiety disorders based on the anxiety screening plan in 1399-1400 in Kashan city. Among them, 19 children were selected by purposeful sampling. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with children and parents, and quantitative data were collected through Ghanbari maternal caregiving quality (1390), Luyten parental reflection function (2013), Dunn sensory profile (1999), and Greenspan functional-emotional developmental questionnaire (2001). Quantitative information was analyzed using a cutoff point, and qualitative information was analyzed through content analysis.
 
Results: The results showed that there are three differences between quantitative and qualitative data: Quantitative information of 26% of the sample, which indicated poor sensory registration in anxious children, contradicts with qualitative results of sensory hyperresponsiveness in these children, and also in Maternal reflection Performance and the subscale of ambiguity of the Maternal Care Quality Questionnaire, most of the samples showed no disorder, which is in contrast with qualitative data.
 
Conclusion: The differences obtained do not indicate the superiority of the quantitative or qualitative method. In line with the DIR approach, the results are complementary and provide more details about the individual and interactive characteristics of anxious children.

Keywords

References

Aali, Sh & AminYazdi, S. A. (2017). Developing a Family-Based Floor Time Therapy and evaluation its effectiveness on the developmental profile of children with interactive disorders (anxiety and depression). International Journal of Pediatrics, 5(4): 4741-4753. [Link]
Abazari, K., Malekpour, M., Ghamarani, A., Abedi, A., & Faramarzi, S. (2016). Emotional Development of Children with Autism based on Developmental, Individual Differences Model. [Link]
Al-Biltagi, M., & Ali Sarhan, E. (2016). Anxiety Disorder in Children: Review. Journal of Paediatric Care Insight, 1(1): 18-28. [Link]
Aminyazdi, A. (2012). The Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based model (DIR). Foundations of Education, 2(1). [Link]
Bar-Haim, Y., Dan, O., Eshel, Y., Sagi-Schwartz, A. Predicting children’s anxiety from early attachment relationships. Journal of Anxiety Disorders; 21: 1061–1068. [Link]
Bitsko, R. H., Holbrook, J. R., Ghandour, R. M., Blumberg, S. J., Viss­er, S. N., Perou, R., & Walkup, J. T. (2018). Epidemiology and Impact of Health Care Provider–Diagnosed Anxiety and Depression among U.S. Children. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 39(5), 395-403. [Link]
Bottos, Sh., Nilsen E. (2014). The cross-generational effects of maternal maltreatment histories: Implications forchildren’smentalizing development. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38: 1094–1105. [Link]

Esbjørn, B.H., Pedersen, S.H., Daniel, S. I .F., Hald, H.H., Holm, J.M., & Steele, H. (2013). Anxiety levels in clinically referred children and their parents: examining the unique influence of self-reported attachment styles and interview-based reflective functioning in mothers and fathers. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 52(4):394-407. [Link]

Fathi, M., AminYazdi, S.A., Kareshki, H., & Ahanchian. H. (2020). Investigating psychometric properties of Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ). Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Healt, 22(5): 301-310. [Link]
Ghanbari, S., Khanmohamadi, M., Khodapanahi, M. K., Mazaheri, M. A., & Lavasani, M. G. (2011). Study of psychometric properties of preschool anxiety scale (PAS). J Psychol, 15(3), 222-234. [Link]
Greenspan, S. (2004). The Greenspan Social Emotional Growth Chart: A screening questionnaire infants and young children. San Antonio: PsychCorp Press. [Link]
Greenspan, S., & Wieder, S. (2005). Can children with autism master the core deficits and become empathetic, creative and reflective? A ten to fifteen year follow-up of a subgroup of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who received a comprehensive developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based (DIR) approach. The Journal of Developmental and Learning Disorders, 9:39-61. [Link]
Greenspan, S., & Wieder, S. (2006). Engaging autism: Using the floortime approach to help children relate, communicate, and think. Washington, DC:  Da Capo Press. [Link]

Hattangadi. N., Cost. K.T., Birken, C. S., Borkhoff, C. M., Maguire.J. L., Szatmari. P., & Charach. A. (2020). Parenting stress during infancy is a risk factor for mental health problems in 3- year-old children. BMC Public Health, 20, 1726: 1-7. [Link]

Itskovich, G. (2019). DIR®-informed approach to anxiety and trauma in school age children. Mental Health.Global Challenges Journal, 2, (2):11–25.
Karzareh, S., Abdi, M., & Heidari, H. (2015). Studying family functioning and the role of maternal parenting styles in predicting children’s behavioral problems in boys aged 5 to 10 years in Ahvaz city. Thoughts and Behavior in Clinical Psychology, 10(36), 17-26. [Link]
Kittleson, M. J., Denkmire, H., Kane, W., & Rennegarbe, R. (2009). The Truth about Fear and Depression. New York: Infobase Publishing. [Link]
Lincoln, Y.S., & Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Newbury Park: Sage Publications, Inc. [Link]
Matas-Blanco. Cr., & Caparros-Gonzalez. R. A.  (2020) Influence of Maternal Stress during Pregnancy on Child’s Neurodevelopment. Psych, 2:186-197. [Link]
McMahon, K., Anand, D., Morris-Jones, M., &  Rosenthal, M.Z. (2019).  A Path from Childhood Sensory Processing Disorder to Anxiety Disorders: The Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Adult Sensory Processing Disorder Symptoms. National Library of Medicine, 13(22): 4-44. [Link]
Roohi, A. (2014). Theoretical and applicable approaches in anxiety disorders in children. Exceptional Education, 3(125), 47-58. [Link]
Sadeghy, M., Akbari Chermahini, S., Bahrami, A., & Seyed Mousavi, P. (2022). Effectiveness of attachment-based theraplay on parental self-efficacy, emotion regulatoin and social adjustment in children with separation anxiety: A case report. Quarterly of Applied Psychology, 16 (2): 107, 132, 2. [Link]
Shafiee S, Hashemirazini H, Shahgholian M. The Role of Parent-Child Interaction and Sensory Processing Pattern in Predicting Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Problems. JOEC 2018; 18 (1) :19-32. [Link]
Shahbazi, M., Dehghan, F., Mirzakhani, N., & Shahbazi, F. (2017). Prevalence of Parent's Perceptions of Sensory Processing Disorders among 5-11 Year-Old Children in Tehran. The Scientific Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 6(4), 48-57. [Link]
Spence, S. H., Rapee, R., McDonald, C., & Ingram, M. (2001). The structure of anxiety symptoms among preschoolers. Behav Res Ther, 39: 1293–1316. [Link]
Trenas, A. F. R, Osuna M. J. P., Olivares, R. R, Cabrera, J. H. (2013). Relationship between Parenting Style and Aggression in a Spanish Children Sample. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 82: 529–36. [Link]
Xuan, X., Chen, F., Yuan, Ch., Zhang, X., Luo, Y., Xue, Y., Wang, Y. (2018). The relationship between parental conflict and preschool children's behavior problems: A moderated mediation model of parenting stress and child emotionality. Children and Youth Services Review, 95: 209-216. [Link]

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics