School Functioning in Youth With and Without Anxiety Disorders: Comparisons by Diagnosis and Comorbidity

Abstract

This article reports on school functioning for 227 youth ages 7–14 (M = 10.3) with principal diagnoses of separation anxiety disorder (n = 40), social phobia (n = 58), generalized anxiety disorder (n = 76), or no diagnoses (n = 53). School functioning data were gathered via parent and teacher report. Youth with no diagnoses demonstrated significantly higher levels of school functioning than those with separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder. The specific anxiety-disordered groups were differentiated to some degree on parent and teacher report of school functioning. Analyses revealed that differences were often attributable to increasingly complex comorbidity. These results underscore the need for services for youth with anxiety given the range of challenges they face in the school environment.