Childhood Anxiety: The Contributions of Effortful Control, Interpretation Biases, and Early Life Stress

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This is an application for a National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to support the academic career development of the applicant. The applicant’s experiences during graduate school have afforded her a wide range of opportunities to be exposed to the assessment, identification, and intervention of anxiety disorders in children among diverse populations. Through these experiences, the applicant has solidified an interest in the role of temperamental and cognitive risk and protective factors in relation to childhood anxiety. This application builds on the applicant’s foundational experience in childhood anxiety and follows a logical, but novel, progression from prior research and training experiences and provides the applicant with the skills necessary to expand her expertise to become an independent investigator. The application proposes training experiences that are necessary for the next step in her academic trajectory, including 1) enhancing the breadth and quality of knowledge in the area of childhood anxiety disorders (CAD), with a focus on the mechanistic role of temperamental and cognitive risk factors for CAD; 2) obtaining advanced training in statistical methods needed to analyze multi-informant, multimethod assessments of temperamental and cognitive risk, and how these risks may vary as function early life stress (ELS) exposure; and 3) refining fundamental research skills, such as grantsmanship and manuscript preparation, as well as publication and presentation of research. The mentorship of a select group of investigators will foster the applicant's development in a promising area of research. Specifically, the goals of the proposed study are to examine 1) interpretation biases as an underlying mechanism in the relation between effortful control and CAD symptom severity, and 2) ELS as a moderator of hypothesized direct and indirect effects in a sample of 60 clinically anxious children (ages 8-12 years). This work will provide a greater understanding of malleable temperamental and cognitive processes that can be leveraged in the prevention and treatment of CAD, as well as identify ELS moderators warranting attention in efforts to personalize care, particularly among diverse populations. Findings are also likely to have direct application to transdiagnostic programs for CAD by informing which children may need the most attention and identifying ELS factors that might interfere with treatment response. The training and research outlined in this proposal will equip the candidate with a unique set of necessary skills to advance knowledge in this important yet understudied area. Over the long-term, data from this study will enhance understanding of the mechanisms involved in the effortful control-anxiety connection among children and will directly inform and strategically guide the development of novel treatments. This proposal and the training received will also provide the applicant with the pilot data and research skills necessary for postdoctoral training following completion of her graduate degree.