Moms Who Are Anxious Increase their Child’s Chance of Developing Anxiety
According to a study at the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University, mothers who are anxious increase their child’s chance of developing anxiety.
In the study, 202 children were recruited and assessed at 3-4 years of age and then assessed again five years later. About half of the children were behaviorally inhibited, or shy, withdrawn and socially anxious. The other half were behaviorally uninhibited.
The study found that the strongest predictor of a child’s anxiety at age 9 was the child’s anxiety at 3-4 years old, with one of the major factors being the mother’s anxiety.
“The results provide clear support for a role of maternal anxiety in affecting child anxiety; both current and lifetime maternal anxiety were strong predictors of child anxiety,” said lead researcher Jennifer Hudson.
Additionally, “over-involvement was a significant predictor of child anxiety at age 9, even when baseline anxiety was controlled for.”
Mothers who participated in the study were asked to respond to statements like ‘I determine who my child will play with’ and ‘I dress my child even if he/she can do it alone.’ Mothers were also observed and videotaped interacting with their child and then asked to deliver a five minute speech about their relationship with their child.
Other factors that contributed to a child’s anxiety were anxiety at an early age and being behaviorally inhibited.
The purpose of the study was to help mental health professionals determine exactly when interventions for childhood anxiety should begin. The results clearly indicate that children who exhibit symptoms of anxiety in preschool are much more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety in 2nd or 3rd grade, especially when they have overprotective, anxious mothers.
Many parents believe that their child’s anxiety is just a phase, but the results of this study prove that without intervention, anxiety can continue or worsen.
Chris Nicoletti is a reporter for Go Zen, an organization dedicated to the relief of childhood anxiety. For more information on how to relieve childhood anxiety, visit www.GoZen.com.