The present study examined the social skills and social acceptance of children with SAD (n=20), children with GAD (n=18), and typically developing (TD) children (n=20). A multimodal assessment paradigm was employed to address three study objectives: (a) to determine whether social skills deficits are unique to children with SAD or extend to children with GAD, (b) to assess whether skills vary as a function of social context (in vivo peer interaction Wii Task versus hypothetical Social Vignette Task) and (c) to examine the relationship between anxiety diagnosis and social acceptance. Parent questionnaire data indicated that both youth with SAD and GAD experienced difficulties with assertiveness, whereas children with SAD experienced a broader range of social skills difficulties. Blinded observers’ ratings during the behavioral assessment social tasks indicated that compared to children with GAD and TD children, children with SAD have deficits in social behaviors and social knowledge across settings, including speech latency, a paucity of speech, few spontaneous comments, questions and exclamations, and ineffective social responses. In addition, vocal analysis revealed that children with SAD were characterized by anxious speech patterns. By comparison, children with GAD exhibited non-anxious speech patterns and did not differ significantly from TD youth on social behaviors, with the exception of fewer spontaneous comments and questions. Lastly, children with SAD were perceived as less likeable and less socially desirable by their peers than both children with GAD and TD children. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed

Introduction: The shift from single- to dual-earner households means that, often, both parents have joined the paid labor force. The demands of work and family can conflict, and this conflict can be a major stressor to parents in today’s high-income countries. Parental stress has been connected to child anxiety and depression, known precursors for mental disorders later on in life. Aim: The aim of this study is to describe differences between convenience samples of Swedish and Swiss parents, exploring the relationship between parental stress (high and low stress parents) and perceived symptoms of anxiety and depression in their children. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative survey was conducted among convenience samples of n=45 Swedish and n=30 Swiss parents of children ages 7-10 years. Parents were categorized as having high (> weekly) or low stress (< weekly). Raw scores from the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) 25 parent version were calculated as the outcome. Data were analyzed using t-tests and Chi-square tests using SPSS-25. Results were considered significant at p<0.05. Results: There was a significant correlation between high parental stress and RCADS-25-P scores. Swedish parents reported having to make priorities between activities in the family schedule more often than Swiss parents. Household chores correlated positively with parental stress. Conclusion: Families in both countries report stressors, and there was observed a relationship between parental stress and perceived symptoms of anxiety and depression among their 7-10 year old children. Social support, in the form of family-friendly workplace policies, may be useful in addressing these determinants of health. / Introduktion: Skiftet från enförsörjar- till tvåförsörjarhushåll innebär numera ofta att båda föräldrarna sysslar med förvärvsarbete. Det kan uppstå konflikt mellan kraven från arbete och familj, och den här konflikten kan utgöra en stor stressfaktor för föräldrar i dagens höginkomstländer. Föräldrastress har kopplats till ångest och depression bland barn, kända förelöpare till mental ohälsa senare i livet. Syfte: Syftet med den här studien är att beskriva skillnader mellan bekvämlighetsurval av svenska och schweiziska föräldrar, för att undersöka sambandet mellan föräldrastress (hög- och lågstressade föräldrar) och upplevda symptom av ångest och depression hos deras barn. Metod: En jämförande tvärsnitts-enkätstudie utfördes på ett bekvämlighetsurval av n=45 svenska och n=30 schweiziska föräldrar till barn i åldrarna 7-10 år. Föräldrar kategoriserades utefter om de upplevde hög (> varje vecka), samt låg stress (< varje vecka). En råpoäng räknades ut från Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) 25 föräldraversion som utfall. Data analyserades genom t-tester och Chi2-tester i SPSS-25. Resultaten ansågs signifikanta vid p<0,05. Resultat: Det fanns ett signifikant samband mellan föräldrars höga stressnivåer och förhöjda RADS-25-P råpoäng. Svenska föräldrar rapporterade att de oftare behövde prioritera i familjens schema än schweiziska föräldrar. Hushållssysslor korrelerade positivt med föräldrars förhöjda stressnivåer. Slutsats: Familjer från båda länderna rapporterade upplevda stressorer, och studien visar att det finns ett samband mellan föräldrastress och upplevda symptom av ångest och depression hos deras barn i åldrarna 7-10 år. Socialt stöd, i form av familjevänliga arbetsplatspolicyer, skulle kunna vara användbara för att adressera dessa bestämningsfaktorer för hälsa.

Les troubles anxieux apparaissent très tôt chez les jeunes. Les études corrélationnelles suggèrent que plusieurs facteurs, tels que le stress prénatal maternel (SPM) et la surimplication maternelle contribueraient à leur développement et à leur maintien. L’objectif de l’étude est de mieux comprendre si la surimplication maternelle est une cause ou une conséquence de l’anxiété chez l’enfant, le tout dans un contexte de stress prénatal maternel causé par un désastre naturel. L’échantillon fait partie d’un projet plus grand dans lequel les stress objectif et subjectif ont été mesurés chez les femmes enceintes lors de l’inondation en 2011 à Queensland en Australie. L’échantillon de l’étude inclut 72 dyades mère-enfant, ayant complété une tâche difficile de casse-tête, d’une durée de 5 minutes, lorsque les enfants étaient âgés de 4 ans. À partir des vidéos, les observateurs ont évalué le comportement maternel (la surimplication) et le comportement de l’enfant (l’anxiété) en continu. Des techniques d’analyse séquentielle ont été utilisées pour déterminer la probabilité qu’un comportement maternel de surimplication se produise avant ou après un comportement anxieux et vice versa. Les corrélations obtenues entre le SPM (objectif et subjectif), le comportement anxieux de l’enfant et le comportement de surimplication maternelle n’ont pas été significatives. Le comportement de surimplication n’est pas un médiateur entre le SPM (objectif et subjectif) et le comportement anxieux de l’enfant. Toutefois, les chances qu’un comportement maternel de surimplication suive un comportement anxieux chez l’enfant étaient plus grandes que les chances qu’un comportement anxieux suive un comportement maternel de surimplication. Nos résultats suggèrent que le stress prénatal maternel n’est pas associé avec le comportement de surimplication maternelle, ni avec le comportement anxieux de l’enfant. La surimplication maternelle est plutôt une réaction au comportement anxieux de l’enfant. Il est essentiel, pour de futures recherches, de se rappeler que l’enfant est un participant actif dans la relation mère-enfant et qu’il est important d’étudier la bidirectionnalité de la relation pour mieux comprendre et pour mieux intervenir. / Anxiety disorders start very early in young people and several factors, such as prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) and maternal overinvolvement are believed to contribute to their development and maintenance. The objective of this study is to better understand if the overinvolvement of the mother is a cause or a consequence of the child’s anxiety, all in a context of prenatal maternal stress due to a natural disaster. The sample is part of a larger project that assessed the objective hardship and the subjective distress in women who were pregnant during the 2011 Queensland flood in Australia. The current sample included 72 mother-child dyads, completing a 5-minute puzzle task when the children were 4 years old. Observers rated maternal (overinvolved) and child (anxious) behaviors from videos continuously. Sequential analysis techniques were used to determine the likelihood of a maternal overinvolved behavior occurring before or after a child anxious behavior and vice versa. The correlations between PNMS (objective and subjective) and the child's anxiety and maternal over-involvement were not significant. Maternal overinvolvement did not mediate the relationship between PNMS (objective and subjective) and anxiety in children. However, the odds of maternal overinvolvement following child anxiety, was stronger than the odds of child anxiety following maternal overinvolvement. Our results suggest that prenatal maternal stress is not associated with maternal overinvolvement nor with child anxiety. It also suggests that maternal overinvolvement is a reaction to the child’s anxious behavior rather than a cause of it. Future research needs to keep in mind that the child is an active participant in the mother-child relationship and that it is important to study the bidirectionality of the relationship to better understand it and intervene.