Age, gender and family factors of fears and anxiety in older preschoolers

The article studies fears and anxiety of older preschoolers depending on the age, gender and family factors (content and structural characteristics of the family). The study involved 80 mother-child dyads: 38 boys and 42 girls aged 5-6 years from Saint Petersburg. The study revealed that the total number of preschoolers’ fears corresponds to the age norm, however, high anxiety is observed. The most pronounced fears were fears of death, animals and fairy-tale characters, physical damage. In general, girls demonstrate more expressed fears. Children who have a sibling are characterized with more pronounced medical fears. Differences in anxiety by gender, age and structural characteristics of the family were not found. In the general sample, it was found that fears become less pronounced with the expansion of the sphere of parental feelings, while anxiety is more pronounced with excessive sanctions, which is natural, but less pronounced when a parental conflict is brought into the sphere of education. In the sample of boys, the total number of fears is less pronounced with indulgent overprotection; anxiety is higher when mothers take the parental role, when sanctions are excessive, or the child’s needs are ignored, and it is lower if the parental feelings are not developed. In the sample of girls, the total number of fears is greater when mothers project their own undesirable qualities on the children and less in the case of extension of the parental feelings sphere; anxiety is lower in the case of indulgent overprotection. In general, the research hypothesis was confirmed: the maturity of the style characteristics of upbringing and good emotional interaction of mothers with children are predictors for the absence of pronounced fears and moderate anxiety. At the same time, parental styles of mothers that indicate their emotional involvement and gentleness, though not being considered mature, also become predictors for the emotional well-being of preschoolers.