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Parental Perceptions of Overprotection: Specific to Anxious Children or Shared Between Siblings?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Jennifer L. Hudson*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia.
Ronald M. Rapee
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Jennifer L. Hudson PhD, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia. E-mail: jhudson@psy.mq.edu.au
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Abstract

Parents of children with anxiety disorders (n = 45) and parents of nonclinical children (n = 33) were interviewed regarding the rearing of two children in their family. The purpose of the study was to determine whether overprotective parenting, according to parent report, occurs specifically in the context of relationships with the anxiety-disordered child or whether parents also perceive themselves to be overprotective of the anxious child's sibling. Self-reports of overprotection by parents of anxious children were also compared to self-reports of overprotection by parents of nonclinical children. Mothers in the clinical group were more likely to report that they were more protective of the anxious child than they were to report being either more protective of the sibling or equally protective of both children. Both mothers and fathers in the clinical group were no more likely than nonclinical parents to perceive themselves as being more protective overall than other parents.

Type
Case Reports and Shorter Communications
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

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