Pediatric generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), one of the most prevalent childhood anxiety disorders, is associated with elevated rates of comorbidity and substantial impairment across multiple functional domains. Although the experience of worry is normative, children and adolescents with GAD experience excessive and uncontrollable level of worries and persisting negative emotion states. In this chapter, we review recent advances in basic research documenting developmental trends associated with worry and GAD and introduce etiological factors implicated in childhood GAD, within the theoretical framework of the Contrast Avoidance Model of Worry. An overview of evidence-based treatment options is also provided, focusing on standard cognitive behavioral treatment approaches and cognitive behavioral treatment informed by contemporary theoretical models of GAD.