Parental Beliefs about Child’s Experience of Anxiety in Saqr Hospital Ras Al-Khaimah, U.A.E

Abstract

Anxiety is a reaction of an individual to change or a stressful event. Separation anxiety, fear of darkness, stranger anxiety etc., are normal features of development during the initial part of life. However, if it persists and not identified at an early stage can lead to anxiety disorders in children. Parents play an important role in its identification at an early stage and management to protect the child from long term consequences of anxiety disorders. It imposes them to have an appropriate belief about the experience of their child’s anxiety. Cross sectional survey was conducted among 252 parents who visited Saqr hospital for various health care issues. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique. Data was collected with the use of a self-reported Parental Belief about child's anxiety questionnaire (PBA-Q). Majority (93.7%) of parents had a moderate level and 5.6% had a highly negative belief about the experience of their child’s anxiety. No significant association was observed between Parental Belief about a child's anxiety and demographic variables like age, gender, education. However, a significant association was observed with the household income of the family. Parents being the primary and most influential caregiver, play a significant role in the emotional health of the children. Findings of the present study strongly recommend regular assessment of parents belief about the experience of anxiety in children and provide guidance to minimize anxiety disorders in children. PBA-Q is a simple tool that can be used in day to day practice.