Abstract
ABSTRACT The present study investigated maternal coping behaviors in clinically anxious and control mothers during two mildly stressful parent-child interaction tasks. We hypothesized that anxious mothers would demonstrate decreased problem-focused and increased emotion-focused coping. We further expected that children of anxious mothers would also demonstrate decreased problem-focused coping, and that maternal anxiety would predict child coping. A total of 49 mother-child dyads participated in the present study. Anxious mothers engaged in significantly less adaptive coping (i.e., active coping, modeling) and significantly greater maladaptive coping (i.e., venting of emotion, negative emotion, discussion of emotion) than did non-anxious mothers. In addition, anxious mothers were rated by independent observers as less able to cope with the tasks. Children of the two groups did not differ with respect to type of coping displayed. Implications of these findings for the impact of parental anxiety on children are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
