Anxiety Status And Its Influencing Factors Of Children Aged 3?6 Years In Some Rural Areas Of Anhui Province

Objective The mental health of preschool children in China is the focus of social concern.This study investigates the levels of anxiety and explores its related factors of children aged 3 to 6 in some rural areas of Anhui Province,in order to provide theoretical basis for improving children's mental health.Methods Cross-sectional survey was used in this study.Some rural areas(Changfeng and Feixi county of Hefei city;Qianshan county of Anqing city;Funan county of Fuyang city)were selected as research sites.Children aged 3 to 6 years were the subjects of the survey.The main caregivers of preschool children were investigated by questionnaire.The questionnaire mainly includes: children and family basic information,Chinese version of Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale(SPAS),Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers(DECA-P2),Neglect Norms for Children Aged 3 to 6Years in Rural Areas of China,Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection Resolve(APGAR),Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)and Self-Rating Depression(SDS).SPSS23.0 was used for data analysis,and multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of different types of anxiety.Results Among the 1,363 preschool children aged 3 to 6 years,the positive rate of anxiety was 14.7%.Physical injury fears scores were highest(1.24±0.84),followed by social phobia anxiety(0.86 ± 0.75)and separation anxiety(0.85±0.74).Except for obsessive compulsive disorder,the other four types of anxiety and total anxiety scores were negatively correlated with the total protective factors of mental resilience(P<0.05).Besides,all anxiety scores were positively correlated with behavioral problems andneglect degree(P<0.05).The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that:1)The influencing factors of separation anxiety included gender,educational methods of persuasion and reprimand,children's neglect degree and anxiety/depression status of primary caregivers;2)The influencing factors of physical injury fear included gender,educational methods of persuasion and reprimand,joint family,children's neglect degree and anxiety/depression status of primary caregivers;3)The influencing factors of social anxiety included educational methods of persuasion and reprimand,joint family,grandparents guardianship,children's neglect degree,behavior problem and anxiety/depression status of primary caregivers.4)The influencing factors of obsessive compulsive disorder included gender,family income status,parental rearing pattern is consistent or inconsistent,children's neglect degree and anxiety/depression status of primary caregivers;5)The influencing factors of generalized anxiety included gender,family income status,parental rearing pattern is consistent or inconsistent,joint family,children's neglect degree,behavior problem and anxiety/depression status of primary caregivers;6)The influencing factors of total anxiety included gender,educational methods of persuasion and reprimand,joint family,family income status,parental rearing pattern is consistent or inconsistent,children's neglect degree,behavior problem and anxiety/depression status of primary caregivers.Conclusions The anxiety of preschool children in Anhui province is common and affected by many factors.The main factors influencing the anxiety level of rural preschool children were female,joint family,inconsistent parenting attitude,higher degree of neglect,more serious behavioral problems and poorer mental health of main caregivers.Therefore,effective and specific educational intervention measures should be taken according to the relevant influencing factors of preschool children's anxiety,in order to reduce the level of anxiety of rural preschool children,and thus to avoid their anxiety disorders.