Parent Child Anxiety Research Articles

Parental Overprotection and Locus of Control as the Mechanisms Explaining the Relationship Between Parent and Child Anxiety: A Multiple Mediation Model.

The study probes the role played by parenting control practices and parental locus of control in the relationship between parent and child anxiety. The study particularly aims at probing these matters in light of the parental gender-specific role, striving to improve our understanding of the differential etiological contribution of mothers' and fathers' anxiety and parental practices to child's anxiety. The study consisted of 316 parents (159 mothers and 157 fathers) who reported their own and their child's anxiety using valid instruments. The general path model used in the study exhibited an adequate fit to the data, generally confirming our theory regarding the direct and indirect associations between parent-child anxiety. Using SEM multiple group analysis for parental gender, a strong-direct unique association was found between parent and child anxiety. For mothers, this association was partially mediated by maternal overprotection. Finally, maternal external locus of control was positively associated with child anxiety, after accounting for the effects of all other maternal variables. The study's findings and limitations are profoundly discussed in light of parental gender differences.

Predicting the Emotional Social Adjustment of Children with Autism Based on Mother-Child Anxiety and the Adaptability of Maternal Parenting

Objective: This study aimed to predict the emotional social adjustment of children with autism based on mother-child anxiety and the adaptability of maternal parenting. Methods and Materials: The research was descriptive and correlational. The population consisted of all mothers with autistic children in the city of Kut. The sample consisted of 200 mothers with autistic children, selected through convenient sampling. The research instruments included the Mother and Child Anxiety Scale (Ataabadi et al., 2021), the Social Emotional Skills Questionnaire for Children (Payton et al., 2008), and the Parenting Adaptability Scale (Yousefi, 2021). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression) were used for data analysis. Findings: The results showed that among the predictor variables, mother-child anxiety and its dimensions, and parenting adaptability and its dimensions, were significantly correlated with emotional social adjustment. Among these variables and their dimensions, parental control, parenting concerns, and parent-child anxiety had predictive power for the emotional social adjustment of children. Conclusion: Based on these results, it can be said that improving parenting variables is beneficial for the improvement of children's emotional social adjustment.

Development and validation of the sources of parental anxiety in children’s education scale

Parental anxiety in children’s education is closely related to children’s developmental and educational outcomes. The current study reported the development and validation of a self-report instrument to evaluate the Sources of Parental Anxiety in Children’s Education (SPACEs). Qualitative analyses suggested that the construct of parental anxiety in children’s education was multidimensional, representing learning performance anxiety, educational environment anxiety, educational input anxiety, and educational outcome anxiety as four primary sources. The results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported this four-factor structure comprising 17 items to capture this multidimensional construct. The scale also demonstrated adequate internal consistencies, convergent validity, discriminant validity, criterion-related validity, and test-retest reliability. A series of multi-group tests across age, locality, and children’s grades provided evidence of measurement invariance. Overall, the SPACE scale appear to be a reliable and valid tool to measure educational anxiety in parents in the Chinese context.

Factors Affecting the Use of Social Networks and Its Effect on Anxiety and Depression among Parents and Their Children: Predictors Using ML, SEM and Extended TAM.

Previous research has found support for depression and anxiety associated with social networks. However, little research has explored parents' depression and anxiety constructs as mediators that may account for children's depression and anxiety. The purpose of this paper is to test the influence of different factors on children's depression and anxiety, extending from parents' anxiety and depression in Jordan. The authors recruited 857 parents to complete relevant web survey measures with constructs and items and a model based on different research models TAM and extended with trust, analyzed using SEM, CFA with SPSS and AMOS, and ML methods, using the triangulation method to validate the results and help predict future applications. The authors found support for the structural model whereby behavioral intention to use social media influences the parent's anxiety and depression which correlate to their offspring's anxiety and depression. Behavioral intention to use social media can be enticed by enjoyment, trust, ease of use, usefulness, and social influences. This study is unique in exploring rumination in the context of the relationship between parent-child anxiety and depression due to the use of social networks.

Parent–Child Anxiety Symptoms in Emerging Adults: Moderation by Gender and Religiosity

Although research has indicated that parent and child anxiety are connected, religiosity may serve as a protective factor and help weaken this connection. The current study asked 1,002 emerging adults (67.7% female) to report on their mothers’ and fathers’ anxiety symptoms and their own anxiety symptoms and religiosity. Structural equation modeling indicated that personal religiosity served as a moderator between the perceived anxiety symptoms of mothers and fathers and emerging adult anxiety symptoms for daughters but not sons. Participant gender also suggested a 3-way interaction among variables as the interactions occurred for daughters but not sons. Additionally, parent gender suggested a 3-way interaction, given that the results indicated that for emerging adult daughters, the interaction was stronger for mothers than fathers. Thus, emerging adult religiosity as well as parent and child gender may be contributing factors to better understanding of how offspring anxiety relates to that of their parents.

Impact of echocardiography on parental anxiety in children with innocent murmurs.

Heart murmurs are not uncommon in childhood. Once noted, they may induce appreciable parental anxiety even if the likely diagnosis is that of an innocent murmur. This study aimed to clarify if a confirmatory echocardiogram may increase parental understanding and reduce their anxiety even though the murmur had been diagnosed as being innocent by an experienced paediatric cardiologist. Parents of children referred to a paediatric cardiologist for evaluation of a murmur were asked to complete a State Trait Anxiety Inventory after the cardiologist's clinical diagnosis of an innocent murmur. The questionnaire was repeated after cross-sectional echocardiography to assess if there was a change in the parental understanding regarding their child's murmur and to review their level of anxiety. Over the time available for the study, 62 parents were recruited consecutively wherever possible. Forty-eight (77%) completed both questionnaires. There was a reduction in the state anxiety level following the echocardiogram in parents who exhibited a high (n = 23) or even a low-level trait anxiety (n = 25) (P < 0.05). Enhanced parental understanding of the diagnosis was also demonstrated. Reduced parental anxiety and an increase in their understanding after echocardiography suggested that the procedure may have an important role in the management of innocent murmurs even after the initial reassurance by a paediatric cardiologist.

Mental health problems in children with uncomplicated epilepsy; relation with parental anxiety.

Mental health problems and parental anxiety in children with epilepsy were investigated. Parents of 83 children with epilepsy and 172 healthy children were asked to complete Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for their children and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for themselves. In those with epilepsy, 39.8% (n: 33) were girls, 60.2% (n: 50) were boys and their mean age was 9.34 ± 3.99 years. Control group was more successful in school (p < 0.001). Emotional problems score in children with epilepsy was higher than control group (p < 0.001). Case group's behavior problems and attention deficit hyperactivity scores were higher (p < 0.001, p=0.009 respectively). Prosocial behavior scores of the control group were significantly higher (p=0.004). State (p=0.001) and trait (p=0.001) anxiety levels of parents of children with epilepsy were higher. Children with epilepsy have more neuro-behavioral problems; and their parents have greater anxiety levels. Physicians should be in contact with children with epilepsy for the psychological health of the family besides seizure control.

La ansiedad de los padres incrementa la ansiedad preoperatoria en el paciente pediátrico cuando este va a someterse a cirugía ambulatoria

ObjectiveTo evaluate the pre-operative anxiety associated with parental anxiety in children subjected to day surgery, by studying the parent-child behaviour and interaction in the surgical environment. Material and methodsA prospective, observational and cross-sectional study was conducted on 98 paediatric patients, between 2 and 10 years-old, scheduled for elective day surgery with general anaesthesia. The modified YALE Pre-operative Anxiety Scale was applied, and the parents were independently evaluated using the Hamilton Anxiety Test. ResultsPre-operative anxiety was present in 71.4% of the patients. Children between 5 and 7 years had a significantly higher risk of presenting with anxiety (P=.05). In the parents group, 55.2% showed mild anxiety, and 9.2% moderate. The mother was the family member who most often accompanied the paediatric patient. ConclusionsThe anxiety in children subjected to surgery is characterised by subjective feelings of tension, fear, nervousness, and worry that could be expressed in diverse forms. The evaluation of anxiety in the pre-operative period is an excellent tool to start and to perform both psychological and pharmacological interventions.