A fearful temperament in childhood is associated with child internalizing symptoms. However, the cognitive mechanisms explaining this association are poorly understood. We examined the effects of child fearful temperament on child internalizing symptoms and the underlying role of catastrophizing cognitions among clinically anxious youth. Children (N = 105; M age = 10.09 years, SD = 1.22; 56.7% female; 62% ethnic minority) completed a diagnostic interview; self-report measures of temperament, catastrophizing, and internalizing symptoms; and behaviorally-indexed measures of catastrophizing and anxiety. Indirect effects were found for child fearful temperament on child self-reported internalizing symptoms by way of self-reported (but not behaviorally-indexed) catastrophizing cognitions. Models predicting behaviorally-indexed child anxiety were not significant. Our findings suggest that targeting fearful temperament during childhood before catastrophizing cognitions develop may have clinical utility. Likewise, among children temperamentally at-risk, addressing catastrophic cognitions may prevent later internalizing psychopathology.

中文翻译：

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临床焦虑青年的恐惧气质、灾难化和内化症状。

童年时期的恐惧气质与儿童内化症状有关。然而，人们对解释这种关联的认知机制知之甚少。我们检查了儿童恐惧气质对儿童内化症状的影响以及临床焦虑青年中灾难性认知的潜在作用。儿童（N = 105；M 年龄 = 10.09 岁，SD = 1.22；56.7% 女性；62% 少数民族）完成了诊断性访谈；气质、灾难化和内化症状的自我报告测量；以及灾难化和焦虑的行为指数测量。通过自我报告（但不是行为索引）的灾难性认知，发现儿童恐惧气质对儿童自我报告的内化症状有间接影响。预测行为索引儿童焦虑的模型并不显着。我们的研究结果表明，在灾难性认知发展之前针对儿童时期的恐惧气质可能具有临床效用。同样，在气质处于危险中的儿童中，解决灾难性认知可能会阻止后来的内化精神病理学。