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Parent-child interactions and anxiety disorders: an observational study
1Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. hudsonj@astro.temple.edu
Behaviour Research and Therapy
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Mothers of anxious children exhibit more intrusive and negative behaviors during challenging tasks, suggesting a link between overinvolved parenting and childhood anxiety. This parenting style was also observed in oppositional defiant children.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Previous studies suggest a correlation between anxiety and controlling/rejecting parenting styles.
- Observational data supporting this link is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mother-child interactions in clinically anxious children using observational methods.
- To compare parenting behaviors in anxious, oppositional defiant, and non-clinical children.
Main Methods:
- Observation of mother-child interactions during difficult cognitive tasks.
- Inclusion of clinically anxious (n=43), oppositional defiant (n=20), and non-clinical (n=32) children.
- Statistical adjustment for child's age and sex.
Main Results:
- Mothers of anxious and oppositional defiant children showed significantly more intrusive involvement than mothers of non-clinical children.
- Mothers of anxious children displayed more negative interactions compared to mothers of non-clinical children.
- Observed differences were consistent across age groups.
Conclusions:
- Findings support an association between overinvolved parenting and childhood anxiety.
- The specificity of this parenting style solely to anxiety is questioned due to similar observations in oppositional defiant children.