Relations of neuroticism and attentional control with symptoms of anxiety and aggression in non-clinical children

The present study examined the associations between neuroticism and attentional control and the occurrence of symptoms of psychopathology in children. A large sample of non-clinical children aged 9 to 17 years (N = 409) completed questionnaires measuring neuroticism, attentional control, and symptoms of anxiety and aggression. Results demonstrated that neuroticism was positively associated with symptoms of anxiety and aggression, whereas attentional control was negatively linked to such symptoms. Regression analyses showed that both neuroticism and attentional control accounted for an independent and significant proportion of the variance in children's anxiety and aggression symptoms. Further, tentative support was found for the notion that neuroticism and attentional control have an interactive effect on symptoms of anxiety and aggression. Results did not show that age had an influence on the emergence of this interaction.