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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2012

Brian Fisak Jr. ,
Kristen Grace Holderfield ,
Erica Douglas-Osborn  and
Sam Cartwright-Hatton
Brian Fisak Jr.*
Affiliation:
University of North Florida, USA
Kristen Grace Holderfield
Affiliation:
University of North Florida, USA
Erica Douglas-Osborn
Affiliation:
University of Manchester, UK
Sam Cartwright-Hatton
Affiliation:
University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
*
Reprint requests to Brian Fisak, University of North Florida, Department of Psychology, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32205, USA. E-mail: b.fisak@unf.edu
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Abstract

Background: 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. Aims: 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. Method: A comprehensive self-report measure of parent worry was developed and administered to a community-based sample of parents. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.

Keywords

Child anxietyparent trainingmindfulnesscognitive behavior therapy
Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 40 , Issue 5 , October 2012 , pp. 542 - 557
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2012

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