Negative affectivity in children and adolescents: Relations between anxiety and depression

Abstract

The long-standing view that anxiety and depression are separate constructs has been challenged in the recent literature. Mainly on the basis of adult studies, it has been argued that anxiety and depression are part of a broader construct of emotional distress, currently referred to as negative affectivity. This article addresses the clinical-research evidence for negative affectivity in children and adolescents. Following an examination of the phenomenology of anxiety and depressive disorders, we review the empirical findings on the relations between these disorders. Of particular interest are diagnostic, assessment, and treatment studies. In general, the evidence suggests that there is an overlap between anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. Limited evidence suggests that developmental influences play an important role in the anxiety-depression relationship. The implications of a general state of emotional distress for child and adolescent behavior therapy are briefly discussed.