Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent forms of psychopathology across the life span. Although the onset of such disorders may occur at almost any point, in many cases they begin in childhood. In this book, the editors have brought together many of the field's most respected and innovative researchers and challenged them to take a fresh look at the major factors that contribute to the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders in childhood and across the life span. The result is a collection of chapters that will stimulate further theoretical and empirical efforts regarding these...

The family plays a central role in the mental health of children. This study of the family in relation to child development and dysfunction explores whether there are critical family characteristics that are reliably predictive of childhood dysfunction - and whether these characteristics can be modified by family therapy. The author places specific types of dysfunction such as depression, conduct problems and anxiety in the context of family influences, and details issues of identification, assessment and treatment of childhood dysfunction in relation to family processes.