Twenge analyzed published research on anxiety involving more than 40,000 college students and 12,000 children, aged 9-17, between 1952 and 1993. The threats can be physical, like violent crime, or more psychological, like worrying about nuclear war. Divorce played a significant role in children's anxiety. That may be because personality is forming during childhood and adolescence. Apparently, children are less concerned with whether their family has enough money than whether it is threatened by violence or divorce, she says.
Anxiety can predispose to depression.
Anxiety is also linked to higher incidence of physical health problems such as asthma, heart disease, gastrointestinal upsets. Get to know your neighbors. Help your children build good relationships. Talk to friends and family about your worries and fears. Independence and freedom are wonderful things, but they often do mean we're not as connected with other people.