The Relationship Between Anxiety Attachment and Parenting Anxiety of Mothers with School-Aged Children: The Sequential Mediating Effects of Self-Differentiation and Child-Based Self-Worth

A two-generation study: The transmission of attachment and young adults’ depression, anxiety, and social media addiction

Ample research documents a link between parent and child anxiety, yet little work has examined parents’ and children’s emotional reactivity for their association with parent–child anxiety transmission. Using a community sample, here we evaluate parents’ subjective emotional reactions to imagining their children feeling afraid and examine (1) their link with parental anxiety and (2) whether this reactivity moderates the association between parent anxiety and children’s subjective and physiological reactivity [resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)]. Finally, we evaluate whether these two indices of children’s reactivity act as indirect effects between parental anxiety and child anxiety, and whether this association is moderated by parents’ reactivity to the child’s fear (moderated mediation). School-aged children (N = 75) and their primary caregivers reported on their anxiety symptoms. Parents and children then completed parallel paradigms in which they imagined the child feeling afraid and reported on their reactivity. Children’s resting RSA was assessed as they watched a nature video. The association between parental anxiety and children’s subjective and physiological reactivity was moderated by parents’ reactivity, such that only when parents reported high reactivity was there a significant association between parental anxiety and children’s self-reported and physiological reactivity. Further, children’s physiological reactivity acted as an indirect effect in the link between parents’ and children’s anxiety symptoms, but only for parents who reported high levels of reactivity to child fear. Results are discussed in terms of their contribution to the literature on parent–child relationships and anxiety.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to maternal nursing in the early postpartum stage and neonate nursing. Data were collected through self-report questionaires which were constructed to include perception of the newborn scale, parental role stress scale and anxiety scale. The subjects consisted of 81 mothers of preterm babies at seven hospitals in Seoul and Kyoungki-Do, from July 15 to September 30, 2000. Data were analysed by SPSS/PC using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, ANOVA, t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient.The results were summarized as follows 1. The mean of perception of the newborn in the early postpartum stage was 1.35. The mean of parental role stress was 10.78. The mean of anxiety of mother was 39.74.2. There were significant positive correlation between parental role stress and anxiety of mothers.3. There were not significant influencing general characteristics to perception of the newborn and parental role stress. General characteristics related to the level of anxiety were economic status, expectation of pregnancy, birthing order, newborn weight. The above findings indicated that the level of parental role stress and anxiety of preterm birth mothers were correlated. Therefore nursing intervention for reducing parental role stress and anxiety should be provided for preterm birth mothers.

Objectives This study aimed to examine the relationship between parenting anxiety in mothers and the resources from which they routinely sought advice.Methods Data consisted of the 75,662 survey responses from parents of children who had undergone health checkups between April and August of 2013. A logistic regression analysis was performed using parenting anxiety (computed using the responses to the two survey items "I don't feel confident as a parent" and "I wonder if I'm mistreating my child") as the response variable. The people or resources from which the mothers sought parenting advice and the number of such resources were used as the explanatory variables.Results Across all ages, the percentage of mothers selecting "husband" as a parenting resource was the largest, and most mothers indicated they had three resources. Common across all ages, mothers who indicated that they had their husband or the child's grandmother or grandfather as resources had a significantly lower odds ratio of having parenting anxiety than mothers who did not. In contrast, mothers who selected "nursery school or kindergarten teachers" or "the Internet" as resources had a significantly higher odds ratio of having parenting anxiety than mothers who did not select these resources. Across all ages, no significant relationship was found between mothers' parenting anxiety and the number of resources they used for parenting advice. There was a significantly higher odds ratio of mothers of children aged 18 and 36 months who indicated that they wondered if they were mistreating their child if they had nobody to talk to than if they had one resource. When the number of resources increased to three, four, or five, the odds ratio was significantly reduced.Conclusion For mothers of children of all ages, results showed that those who routinely sought advice from their husband or their child's grandparents had a significantly lower probability of experiencing parenting anxiety. On the other hand, this probability was significantly higher when their resources were nursery school or kindergarten teachers or the Internet. This study also suggests that, for mothers of young children, having a larger number of people from whom to routinely seek advice may reduce their anxiety about their parenting ability.

The present study aims to examine why parents engage in overprotective parenting in interaction with their emerging adults. Specifically, this study used an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to examine associations between parental attachment representations (both maternal and paternal attachment anxiety and avoidance), parental separation anxiety, and parental overprotection. Additionally, we examined whether maternal attachment, separation anxiety, and overprotection predicted the emerging adult’s actual living situation (at home / away from home) 1 year later, and maternal negative affect regarding emerging adults’ home-leaving. The sample consisted of Caucasian participants and included 246 adolescents in their final year of secondary school (mean age Time 1 = 17.14) and their parents (242 mothers, 218 fathers). Results showed that both maternal and paternal attachment anxiety related to more maternal and paternal separation anxiety, respectively (p’s < .001). In turn, separation anxiety in mothers and fathers related to respectively maternal (p < .001) and paternal overprotection (p < .05), as perceived by the emerging adult. There was one significant partner-effect between maternal attachment anxiety and paternal separation anxiety (p < .05). Further, higher scores on perceived maternal overprotection related to a higher likelihood that the emerging adult would still live at home 1 year later (p < .01), as well as to more negative maternal affect related to the process of home-leaving (p < .05). In sum, the current study revealed the importance of attachment and separation anxiety as significant parental factors related to parental overprotection.

Premature birth can pose challenges to parent-infant attachment and increase parental anxiety. Music therapy has been proposed as an intervention, but its effectiveness remains unclear. Six databases (Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched until January 15, 2025. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effects of music intervention versus routine care on parental anxiety and parent-infant attachment in caring for premature infants. Quality assessment was conducted using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed with heterogeneity assessed via I2 statistics and Q tests. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach evaluated overall evidence quality. After comprehensive screening, 13 randomized controlled trials published between 2014 and 2024 were included, encompassing 1034 participants with preterm infants. The meta-analysis revealed no statistically significant improvement in parent-infant attachment or parental anxiety with music therapy compared to conventional care. However, subgroup analysis indicated that frequent music therapy interventions (≥once daily) positively influenced parent-infant attachment (SMD = -1.08, 95% CI: [-1.92, -0.24], p = 0.01). Overall, music therapy may not reduce parental anxiety or improve attachment, but frequent interventions demonstrated promising potential and warrant further investigation. PROSPERO CRD42025643424. This review indicatesthat music therapy, compared to standard care, shows no significant effects on parent-infant attachment or parental anxiety in the care of premature infants. However,morefrequent (≥oncedaily) music therapy shows more promising results in improvingparent-infant attachment, suggesting the importance of intervention intensity. These insights inform the development of targeteddaily therapy protocolto enhance preterm care outcomes.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the moderated mediating effects of parental calling on the relationship between mothers' intolerance of uncertainty, parenting anxiety, and parental burnout during the preschool years of children aged three to five.Methods: The sample consisted of 300 participants recruited through an online survey. Data were analyzed using SPSS 27 and Macro version 4.1 (Models 4 and 14).Results: The findings of the study are as follows: First, parenting anxiety was found to play a partial mediating role in the relationship between mothers' intolerance of uncertainty and parental burnout. Second, a significant moderated mediating effect of parental calling was observed in the pathway from intolerance of uncertainty to burnout via parenting anxiety.Conclusion: These study findings indicate that parental calling plays a crucial role in situations where elevated parenting anxiety resulting from mothers' low tolerance for uncertainty contributes to parental burnout. Therefore, focusing on enhancing parental calling may help mitigate parental burnout. Additionally, the role of parenting anxiety in the impact of intolerance of uncertainty on parental burnout should be emphasized. Furthermore, these findings suggest the need for developing parenting programs and counseling models based on parental calling, which are expected to serve as foundational data for parental education and counseling practices aimed at reducing parenting anxiety.

ABSTRACTUsing a sample of 210 college students affected by parental separation, this study investigated how perceived parental conflict and attachment anxiety jointly predicted somatic symptoms in adult children affected by parental separation. The participants responded to a computer-based survey assessing perceived parental conflict, attachment anxiety, and somatic symptoms. The results indicated that parental conflict was associated with attachment anxiety and somatic symptoms, and attachment anxiety was associated with somatic symptoms. Moreover, multivariate regression analysis showed a pattern of full mediation suggesting a pathway from parental conflict to somatic symptoms through the individual differences in attachment anxiety. Targeting anxious working models of attachment in children of parental separation may protect and minimize the vulnerability of developing somatic symptoms resulting from exposure to parental conflict.

In the context of academically competitive cultures, particularly in China, parental educational anxiety has emerged as a salient psychosocial stressor affecting adolescent mental health. While growing attention has been given to this phenomenon, the psychological pathways through which parental educational anxiety relates to adolescent depression remain insufficiently delineated. This study investigates the mediating roles of moral disengagement and negative coping style, as well as the moderating function of psychological resilience in this relationship. A total of 1,979 parent-adolescent dyads were recruited from six schools across three provinces in China (Liaoning, Shandong, and Shanghai). Standardized questionnaires were administered separately to both parents and their adolescent children. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed using Mplus 8.3 to test the hypothesized chain mediation pathways, while moderation analysis was conducted using SPSS 23.0 to examine whether psychological resilience buffers the direct association between parental educational anxiety and adolescent depression. Parental educational anxiety was significantly and positively associated with adolescent depression (β = 0.304, t = 14.929, p < 0.001). Moreover, a significant sequential pathway was identified: moral disengagement was positively associated with negative coping style (β = 0.270, t = 13.548, p < 0.001), and both variables jointly mediated the association between parental educational anxiety and adolescent depression. Additionally, psychological resilience moderated this association such that the relationship was attenuated among adolescents with higher resilience (p < 0.001). These findings highlight a complex chain of cognitive and emotional mechanisms linking parental educational anxiety to adolescent depressive symptoms. Moral disengagement and negative coping style operate as sequential mediators, while psychological resilience serves as a buffering factor. Although causal interpretations are limited by the cross-sectional design, the results underscore the importance of addressing both family-based pressures and adolescents' internal coping resources in interventions aimed at improving youth mental health in high-pressure educational contexts.

Attachment and social support mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms

Surgery in a paediatric setting stresses children and their parents. Previous studies have focused on children and the preoperative period; however, the 24 h after child surgery are highly stressful for parents as their child is still physically recovering and physician-parent communication is vital. The aims of this study are to investigate the impact of three levels of severity of paediatric surgery on mothers' and fathers' anxiety and stress and to identify factors that contribute to parental anxiety and acute stress symptoms in the first 24 h after child surgery. A total of 154 parents (91 mothers, 63 fathers) of children who had just undergone elective surgery for a major intervention (n = 41), minor intervention (n = 64) or day surgery (n = 49) completed questionnaires aimed at assessing levels of state anxiety and acute stress symptoms. Social network, socio-economic status and parental health locus of control were evaluated as contributors. Parents reported high levels of state anxiety (26% had scores on the state scale 2 standard deviations above the norm) and acute stress symptoms (28% in at least one of the four acute stress disorder symptom categories). Child's type of surgery is related to parental anxiety [F(2,134) = 38.12, P = 0.0001, eta(2) = 0.175] and acute stress symptoms [F(2,133) = 31.21, P = 0.0001, eta(2) = 0.133]. Parental state anxiety was predicted by parent's gender, trait anxiety and health external locus of control. Parent's number of acute stress symptoms was predicted by parental trait anxiety, health external locus of control, parent's level of education and the number of social contacts. There is a need to take into consideration parental anxiety and distress in the 24 h after child surgery. Parental well-being is related to several characteristics including the severity of child surgery; these aspects should be taken into consideration when interacting with parents in the aftermath of their child's surgery.

Background Increased sensitivity to internal and external stimuli, known as sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), has been linked to attachment insecurity and less optimal parenting styles in parents of children aged 4–13 years. Associations between these parenting factors in parents of children aged 3 years and younger have not yet been investigated. Understanding the relationships between these factors will facilitate the development of strategies to better support highly sensitive parents. Methods A sample of 153 parents of children aged 3 years and younger completed an online survey comprising standardised measures of SPS, attachment, and infant parenting styles. The underlying factor structure of the Infancy Parenting Styles Questionnaire was investigated. Results Factor analysis identified 33 items loading onto five factors: Discipline, Routine, Anxiety, Nurturance, and Involvement, with moderate to high reliability. SPS was positively correlated with parenting anxiety, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance, but did not predict parenting style. Younger parent age was associate with more insecure attachment styles. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that variability in parenting anxiety was predicted only by attachment anxiety and having fewer children. Conclusion While SPS was not seen to predict parenting anxiety, relationships between SPS, parenting anxiety, and insecure attachment suggest that strategies tailored to SPS would support highly sensitive parents to care for their children and promote improved parent–child relationships. These strategies may therefore be a beneficial addition to attachment-based parenting programs. Further studies using the Toddler Parenting Styles Questionnaire (TPSQ) are needed to identify optimal parenting styles for parents of infants and toddlers.

The present study aimed at identifying the relationship between parental attachment styles and separation anxiety in the light of the gender of children. Therefore, the scales of separation anxiety and parental attachment were prepared and applied to a sample of 300 students from the upper grades in the primary stage in Jeddah. Results showed statistically significant correlation coefficients between parental attachment styles (anaclitic attachment, anxious attachment, and preoccupied attachment) and separation anxiety (depressive symptoms associated with parental separation anxiety, social concerns, fear of child-mother separation, general anxiety, and total degree of parental separation anxiety). There were no statistically significant differences in anxious attachment and depressive symptoms associated with parental separation anxiety and fear of parent's departure from the house.

Growing evidence indicates that individual differences in attachment style are related to health outcomes. The present study extends this literature by examining whether attachment anxiety in both mothers and fathers predicts maternal health the year following the birth of a child in a sample of 698 low-income, racially diverse couples. We hypothesized that maternal perceptions of partner responsiveness would mediate these associations. Maternal allostatic load, a measure of cumulative wear-and-tear on the body due to stress, was used as an indicator of maternal health. Maternal biomarkers (blood pressure, adiposity, blood metabolites, inflammation, and diurnal cortisol) were scored using clinical or top-quartile cutoffs to compute an allostatic load index. Attachment anxiety and perceived partner responsiveness were assessed in interviews. Path models were used to test indirect associations between mother and father attachment anxiety and maternal allostatic load through perceived partner responsiveness. We found that higher mother and father attachment anxiety were each independently and indirectly associated with higher maternal allostatic load through lower maternal perceptions of partner responsiveness. These findings highlight the need to consider both relationship and partner factors in understanding maternal health.

Background: Surgery is a stressful experience for children, and preoperative anxiety in children could be affected by the level of parental anxiety. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between anxiety in school-age children before surgery and parental state-trait anxiety. Method: This descriptive study was performed on 81 children within the age group of 6-12 years admitted for elective surgical operation and 128 parents in Doctor Sheikh Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, 2016. Children's anxiety and parental anxiety were measured before the entrance of the patients to the operating room via Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) and Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively. The data was analyzed in SPSS, version 16, using the relevant statistical tests. Results: The results of Pearson product-moment correlation test showed a positive correlation between children's anxiety and fathers' state anxiety and between children's anxiety and mothers' state anxiety (r=0.27, r=0.41; P=0.005, P=0.040, respectively). However, no statistically significant relationship was observed between children's anxiety and parents' trait anxiety, age of children, as well as parents' educational level, occupation, and level of trait anxiety. Implications for Practice: Considering the association between parents' state anxiety and children's anxiety, implementing preoperative interventions to prepare parents for surgery is recommended.