Clinical Psych&~ Review, Vol. 9, pp. 717-736, 1989 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. 0272-7358/89 $3.00 + .OO Copyright 0 1989 Pergamon Press plc zyxwvuts A SSESSING A NXIO US EMO TIO N: A REVIEW O F PSYC HO PHYSIO LO G IC AL A SSESSMENT IN C HILDREN Deborah C. Beidel Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZ ABSTRACT. zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Little information is available on the physiological characteristics of children with anxiety disorcters. However, there is a related body of literature which describes the somatic responses of infants, toddlers, and school age children when placed in stressful or fear-provoking situations. The available data indicate that participation in these situations is associated with zyxwvutsr ciulnges in physiological status. Furthermore, there are preliminary data to suggest that for some children the magnitude of the responses represent stable individual characteristics, and that these behaviors may be related to the concept of an “anxious” temperament. The importance of these data for the conceptualization of childhood anxiety and the a’evelojment of more comprehensive clinical assessment strategies is discussed. In addition, the utility of these data in furthering our una!er- standing of the etioloa and maintenance of childhood anxiety disorrters is addressed. Historically, childhood fears have been viewed as age- and stage-specific, tran- sient in nature, and without significant long-term effects (e.g., Johnson & Mela- med, 1979). Yet, it has become increasingly evident that not all childhood fears fit this typical developmental pattern (Achenbach, 1985), and that some children experience such pervasive distress as a result of their fears that intervention is necessary (e.g., Gittelman, 1986). Although the potential severity of some of these disorders is now apparent, the assessment of childhood anxiety lags far behind its adult counterpart. For example, few data are available to address the validity of the various conditions subsumed under childhood anxiety disorders in DSM-III-R (APA, 1987). 0 ne contribution to furthering knowledge in the area of anxious emotion in childhood could be the study of physiological parameters. The desirability for further understanding of what role, if any physiology plays This study was supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health Grants No. 30915, and No. 16884, and a Grant from the Sigma Xi Foundation. Thanks are expressed to Samuel M. Turner, Ph.D., for his comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. Correspondence should be addressed to Deborah C. Beidel, Western Psychiatric Insti- tute and Clinic, 3811 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. 717