Trajectory of Anxiety Symptoms 1 Running head: DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF ANXIETY SYMPTOMS Developmental Trajectories of Anxiety Symptoms among Boys across Early and Middle Childhood

This study examined the developmental trajectory of anxiety symptoms among 290 boys and evaluated the association of trajectory groups with child and family risk factors and children’s internalizing disorders. Anxiety symptoms were measured using maternal reports from the CBCL between the ages of 2 and 10. A group-based trajectory analysis revealed four distinct trajectories in the development of anxiety symptoms: low, low increasing, high declining, and high increasing trajectories. Child shy temperament tended to differentiate between initial high and low groups, whereas maternal negative control and maternal depression were associated with increasing trajectories and elevated anxiety symptoms in middle childhood. Follow-up analyses to diagnoses of preadolescent depression and/or anxiety disorders revealed different patterns based on trajectory group membership. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms of risk factors and implications for early identification and prevention.