Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Peyton M. Mobbs
Numerous studies have been made on the correlation between depression and anxiety in
children. I chose the topic of depression and anxiety in children because I have seen first hand
how they have both affected children and their performance in the classroom compared to
children that don’t suffer from anxiety and depression. I went to school with a friend who was a
good student until 7th grade. I began to notice her interests changing and eventually her desire to
succeed in the classroom changed. She seemed tired all the time and her grades were dropping.
Her personality changed slowly and she was not excited about the things she once was. As a
middle school student, I was clueless to what was happening. I had no idea what the signs of
anxiety were. I had never been taught the symptoms of depression in children. Later on in high
school, I learned that she began suffering from anxiety in 6th grade. Those symptoms led to
depression and her personality was altered because of the mood disorder. As a college student, I
have an interest in anxiety and depression because of my friend and because of all the articles I
read on college students suffering from depression and anxiety. Students in college sometimes
get anxiety or depression from moving out or away from family. If students were informed at a
younger age, they may be able to adapt to the new responsibilities and life-style when moving
The article used four separate methods to assess the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The
scientists used self-reports, peer nominations, teacher ratings, and parent reports. In the study
they didn’t use formal or clinical evaluations because of the large amount of children who were a
part of the study. Children with either depression or anxiety usually suffer from both issues. The
correlations are a true comparison of depression and anxiety. Even though there are many
Depression and Anxiety in Children 3
differences, some of the factors overlap (Cole, Truglio, & Peeke, 1997). For example, the
answers of some of the questions will be very similar to each other. From the previous research,
it is hypothesized that there will be a correlation between depression and anxiety in children.
Anxiety is a feeling that is unpleasant and has intense or excessive worry about everyday things
happening (Akiskal, 1998). This disorder is characterized by an uneasiness and/or panic attacks.
Anxiety affects how we feel and behave. Anxiety can even sometimes change into a physical
sign. Most people are familiar with anxiety at some period in their life. Depression is a disorder
that is distinguished by mood and the lack of want to participate in activities (Lorr, Sonn, &
Katz, 1967). Not a lot of people suffer from this mood disorder.
The children will complete a self-report form to report on depression and anxiety levels
by doing sentence completion, questionnaires, rating scales and even drawings. The psychologist
can determine if they have the diagnosis and the severity of their being. One drawback to the
self-report questionnaire would be that children might not answer the questions truthfully. The
children could be faking good or bad feelings in their questionnaire. When children answer with
perfect scores the psychologist then can report on this. The child answered that they were perfect
and had no concerns can often be an indication that the child is reporting false feelings. Self-
reporting questionnaires are a quick and easy way to get data. Also, self-reporting questionnaires
are easy to replicate. Other forms may take more time, but it is beneficial to have multiple
A person will be able to infer causation between the two variables: depression and
anxiety. A person can infer causation because most children with depression also have anxiety
and vice versa. The third variable that could be present is stress. Stress is associated with
depression. Living in a dysfunctional home could cause more stress, anxiety, and depression.
Depression and Anxiety in Children 4
Anxiety and depression go hand in hand (Cole, Truglio, & Peeke, 1997). It is rare for a
child to experience anxiety without depression because of the side effects. Anxiety can cause
worthlessness. When a child continually suffers from lack of sleep or a change in eating habits,
the results eventually usually lead to depression. Even though it is hard for a professional to
determine what is anxiety and what is depression in adolescents, the symptoms will dictate what
References
Cole, D. A., Truglio, R., & Peeke, L. (1997). Relation between symptoms of anxiety and
Lorr, M., Sonn, T. M., & Katz, M. M. (1967). Toward a definition of depression. Archives of