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Influence of Parental Anxiety on Child Performance on the Behavioral Approach Task: Comparing Outcomes With and Without Parental Presence
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Abstract
Clinical anxiety occurs in 10-20% of youth, with specific phobia considered the leading anxiety disorder in children (Merikangas et al., 2010). Anxiety disorders lead to significant impairment and predict a chronic course of psychiatric conditions later in life (Bittner et al., 2007). Evidence suggests that parenting behaviors and parental psychopathology contribute to the maintenance and exacerbation of child anxiety. In particular, parental anxiety may be indirectly transferred to children through specific parenting practices (e.g., overcontrol, accommodation) and can lead to worsened anxiety outcomes (Kerns et al., 2017; Ollendick & Horsch, 2007). This can be studied in a lab setting using the Behavioral Approach Task (BAT) to capture behavioral avoidance associated with specific phobias. In an attempt to replicate past work in a larger sample (Ollendick et al., 2012), this study aimed to investigate the impact of parent phobic and general anxiety on the BAT performance of phobic children. It was hypothesized that parental general and phobic anxiety would be related to worse child BAT performance, but only when parents were present during the BAT. Youth (n=125, Mage=8.86, 50.4% Female, 88% White) with a specific phobia completed two BATs: one with a parent present and one without (Öst et al., 2001). Both BATs required them to approach their specific phobic stimulus/situation. Child performance was measured by the Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) rating at the last step of the BATs (when the BAT was completed or when youth indicated that they wished to stop) and percent steps completed (% steps) on the BAT. Parents (n=125, 76% mothers) completed a self-report measure of psychopathology [Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI); Derogatis, 1975] and the phobic and general anxiety subscales were used. Four repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted to examine the effects of parental presence and its interaction with both parent general and phobic anxiety on SUDS and % steps during the BATs. Findings revealed a significant main effect of parental presence on both SUDS, Wilks’ Λ=0.724, F(1, 120)=45.73, p<.001, partial η²=.276, and % steps, Wilks’ Λ= 0.724, F(1, 120) = 45.69, p < .001, partial η² = .276. Children’s SUDS ratings were 1.726 units lower and they completed 19% more steps when their parents was present during the BAT, compared to when they completed it alone., However, the interactions between parental presence and both phobic and general parental anxiety were not significant for SUDS (p = .759, p = .504) or % steps (p = .34, p = .31). This study highlights the significant impact of parental presence on phobia child performance during a Behavioral Approach Task, with children reporting lower distress and completing more steps when their parent was present compared to when they were alone. However, our hypotheses that parental phobic and general anxiety would moderate these effects were not supported, suggesting that the mere presence of a parent, regardless of their anxiety level, may decrease a child’s behavioral avoidance and distress during anxiety-provoking situations. It may be that overall anxiety levels of parents in this study were too low to negatively impact child performance and results may be different in a sample of clinically anxious parents. Alternatively, it may be that general parental anxiety is not a good predictor of parent behavior during a specific task. Future work should assess the impact of state-level parent anxiety during the BAT, or measure parenting behavior directly.
Description
This poster was presented at Anxiety and Depression Association of America on 04/04/2025.
Date
2025-04-04
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University of Kansas
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Keywords
anxiety, phobia, parenting, parent anxiety, child anxiety