Latent Profiles of Preschool Anxiety and Social-Emotional and Behavioral Skills in Young Children

Abstract Background Little is known about patterns of anxiety symptoms in younger children, particularly as reported by preschool teachers. Objective To address this gap, the subscales of the Teacher Preschool Anxiety Scale (T-PAS) were used to estimate latent profiles of anxiety in a large sample of preschool children from lower-income households ( N = 634 children, N = 9 schools). Methods Latent profile analysis was used to identify profiles of anxiety in preschool-aged children based on teacher report. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to examine child demographic variables, classroom behavioral adjustment, self-regulation skills, and learning behaviors as predictors of group membership. Results Three profile types emerged: Low Overall Anxiety, High Social Anxiety/Moderate Separation Anxiety, and High Overall Anxiety. Children in the High Social Anxiety/Moderate Separation Anxiety group were younger than those in the Low Overall Anxiety group, and children in the High Overall Anxiety group were more likely to have individualized education programs than children in the other groups. Groups did not differ by sex. Teachers rated children in both elevated anxiety groups higher on internalizing classroom behaviors than children in the Low Overall Anxiety group. Groups did not differ on teacher reports of self-regulation. Teachers rated children in the High Overall Anxiety group lower on approaches to learning than children in both other groups, with children in the High Social Anxiety/Moderate Separation Anxiety group scoring lower on competence motivation than children in the Low Overall Anxiety group. Conclusions Findings extend prior understanding of preschool children’s anxiety and can inform early childhood program needs for early identification.