| Fears and worries are common in children, but can become problematic when they hinder development. Separation anxiety (SAD) is a particular concern. This study examined the prevalence of separation anxiety symptom dimensions in a normative sample of elementary school children. Children (N=202) age 6 to 12 were assessed with the Separation Anxiety Assessment Scale-Child and Parent versions (SAAS-C/P; Eisen & Schaefer, 2005). The SAAS-C/P assesses the symptom dimensions of separation anxiety, including fears of being alone (FBA), abandonment (FAb), physical illness (FPI), worry about calamitous events (WCE), frequency of calamitous events (FCE) and safety signals (i.e., safe persons, places, transitional objects). Results from the elementary school sample indicated that separation anxiety symptoms were highly prevalent based on both child and parent reports. Child participants on average reported greater symptom scores than their parents had ascribed to them. To develop preliminary normative comparisons, this data was compared to scores from anxious youth previously collected by researchers from Fairleigh Dickinson and Boston Universities (N=142). Surprisingly, normative sample children tended to score higher than the clinical sample. Children of different ages reported different patterns of severity on the dimensions, especially for the clinical sample, indicating developmental changes in the salience of fears. Parents' reports of symptoms were much more consistent with children's reports in the clinical group. Implications regarding case formulation and treatment are discussed. |
