Sentence:  In theory , compulsive behavior is a way of diminishing anxiety , and one might expect a negative association except for the possibility that for many children the obsessive-compulsive defenses are not sufficient to quell the amount of <WSD>anxiety</WSD> they suffer . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic