Indicators of flourishing in anxious preschool-aged children

Anxiety disorders in the preschool-age population can cause behavioral, social and community concerns. Identifying factors related to flourishing may limit long-term consequences related to the experience of anxiety. The first goal of this study was to examine a national data-set from the 2011/2012 National Survey of Children's Health to determine the frequency of caregivers reporting that their preschool-aged child (between 2 and 5 years) experienced anxiety. The second aim was to detect predictors related to caregiver perceptions of flourishing in children who were described as anxious. Flourishing was a composite measure that included curiosity about learning, resilience, attachment with a caregiver, experiencing contentment and overall positive health status. Findings indicated that 262 children were experiencing moderate to severe anxiety. A regression analyses was used to examine factors that could be related to well-being in children who were anxious. Results indicated that positive behavior and peer relationships were significant predictors of flourishing.