Relationships between parental factors and child anxiety and depressive symptoms in an indicated preventive...

BACKGROUND: Parental factors such as parental symptomatology, family functioning, and parental practices are linked to child anxiety and depression. While most research focuses on clinical groups, this study examines these associations in an indicated sample, before and after a preventive intervention and at 12-month follow-up. METHODS: Participants included 1043 parents of 650 children (8–12 years old) from the ECHO trial, aimed at optimizing a preventive program for anxious and sad children. Using cross-lagged panel models, we modelled the relationship between parent-reported children’s anxiety and depression symptoms and parental factors. Parental factors were parents’ symptoms of anxiety and depression, family functioning and parental practices (managing emotions, setting goals & dealing with problems, and dealing with negative emotions). All variables were measured by parent-report questionnaires at baseline, post-intervention and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: Positive associations were found between child anxiety and depressive symptoms, and parental anxiety and depressive symptoms and poorer family functioning. There were smaller, negative associations between children’s symptoms and positive parental practices. CONCLUSION: Parental factors were significantly associated with child anxiety and depression over time, with stronger links to parents’ anxiety and depressive symptoms and family functioning, than parental practices.