Investigation of the Degree and Nature of Anxiety in Children from Different Socioeconomic and Racial Backgrounds, and Some Implications for the Schools

The purposes of the study reported in this document were to investigate the relationship between children's manifest anxiety and their perceptions of negative environmental stimuli, and to determine the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) and race on both of these variables. The hypotheses tested concerned: (a) the degree of anxiety manifested by children from different SES, race, and sex groups; (b) the frequency of negative environmental stimuli perceived by children from different SES, race, and sex groups; and (c) the relationship between degree of anxiety manifested and frequency of negative environmental stimuli. Additional data were collected concerning the quality of negative environmental stimuli perceived by children from each group. The instrument used to measure anxiety was the General Anxiety Questionnaire, which incorporates items from the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale and the General Anxiety Scale for Children. All subjects were sixth-grade pupils from four Philadelphia schools. Each school represented one of four SES-racial combinations: lower SES black, lower SES white, middle SES black, and middle SES white. Three hundred and fifty-one pupils--three classes from each school--participated in the study. The instruments were administered to an entire class at one sitting. [Tables following the text of this paper are only marginally legible.] (Author/JM)