Teacher recognition of child anxiety: The influence of diagnostic labels on causal attributions and teacher support behaviors

This study investigated the influence of a diagnostic label on elementary school teachers' causal attributions of anxious students. Furthermore, the effect of these variables on teachers' support behaviors was also examined. Participants included 254 general education, elementary school teachers from public schools across the United States. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of three vignettes describing a fictional student's anxious behavior. Participants rated their personal causal attributions as well as their likelihood of enacting particular support behaviors for the student. One-way MANOVAs revealed significant differences between vignette groups for the causal attributions of locus of causality, stability, and personal controllability, as well as for certain teacher support behaviors. Specifically, teachers who read about a student with a formal diagnosis of an anxiety disorder rated the student's behavior as more likely due to internal factors, more stable, and less personally controllable. In addition, teachers reported they were more likely to consult with support staff and submit a formal special education referral for these students. Nonparametric bootstrapping analyses revealed no support for the mediation effect of causal attributions on the relationship between student anxiety presentation (e.g. presence of a diagnosis) and teacher support behaviors. Limitations and implications for the practice of school psychology are discussed.;Key words: teachers, elementary students, anxiety, causal attributions, diagnostic labels, support behavior.