What do Parents Worry About? Examination of the Construct of Parent Worry and the Relation to Parent and Child Anxiety

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that parent cognition, including anxious beliefs and expectations, are associated with both parent and child anxiety symptoms and may be transferred from parent to child. However, the content and frequency of parent worry in relation to their children has yet to be examined as a potential form of anxious parent cognition, and little is known about normative parent worry. The purpose of the current study is to extend the research on parent cognition and child anxiety by focusing on parent worry (i.e. parent worry in relation to their children) as a potential predictor of child anxiety. A comprehensive self-report measure of parent worry was developed and administered to a community-based sample of parents. An exploratory factor analysis yielded a single factor solution. Parent worry was found to be a more robust predictor of child anxiety than parent anxiety symptoms, and parent worry mediated the association between parent anxiety symptoms and child anxiety. Most common worries reported by parents fell within the domains of life success and physical well-being. Overall, this study adds to the literature on parent cognitive biases and has the potential to inform parent-based interventions for the treatment of child anxiety. Further, this study provides initial data on normative parent worry.