Authors (including presenting author) :
Tang NSK(1), So YCC(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Child & Adolescent Mental Health Community Support Project, Kwai Chung Hospital
Introduction :
Anxiety symptoms are rather common among students. To measure the anxiety symptoms of children and adolescents in Hong Kong, Spence Children Anxiety Scale (SCAS; Spence, 1997) was translated and validated. However, descriptive statistics of a representative sample were lacking; we may only use the Australia normative data as reference at best when assessing symptom severity. Analysis of the large-scale data collected by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Community Support Project (CAMcom) would enhance our understanding on the patterns of anxiety symptoms among Hong Kong students. The descriptive statistics may provide additional reference for future assessment.
Objectives :
The current secondary data analysis aimed to (1) examine the general trends of common subtypes of anxiety across age and gender among local students, and (2) generate descriptive statistics based on age and gender groups.
Methodology :
Data were collected from 2011 to 2018 in local primary and secondary schools that participated in the anxiety prevention group program of CAMcom. In total, 18581 students (age M: 13.36; SD: 1.51) and 22737 parents (student age M: 8.16; SD: 1.73) had filled out the SCAS during the school-based screening. Multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the relationship between anxiety subtypes and age as well as gender, and the interaction effect of the two. Means and standard deviations of subscale scores were calculated by age and gender.
Result & Outcome :
For student self-reported scores, there is significant gender difference and interaction effect of gender and age in all subtypes. Specifically, social phobia, obsessive-compulsiveness, and panic/agoraphobia increased with age among female students only. A significant decrease of physical injury fears with age was found only in male students. Although separation anxiety decreased and general anxiety increased in general, older male students experienced significantly less separation anxiety and general anxiety compared with their female peers. For parent reported scores, male students were rated to experience a lower anxiety level across all subtypes except for obsessive-compulsiveness. For both male and female students, parents rated their separation anxiety decreased with age, while social phobia, obsessive-compulsiveness, panic/agoraphobia, and general anxiety increased. No interaction of gender and age were found. The current study may shed light on the developmental trend of anxiety symptoms among local students. The descriptive statistics would also facilitate screening, assessment, and treatment progress monitoring in clinical and community settings.
Co-location with:
