Can Positive Parenting Buffer Children from the Impact of Adversity on Child Anxiety?

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Introduction. Anxiety disorders, which have earlier onset than most other forms of psychopathology, are more common in children affected by adversity. This study explores the extent to which parenting behavior can act as a protective factor, potentially moderating the relation between childhood adversities (i.e., deprivation, threat, other stressors) and childhood anxiety disorders. Methods. Parents of children (n = 398) ages 2-5, recruited from a pediatric clinic in the southeastern United States reported child’s adversity exposure (Conflict-Tactics Scale - Parent-Child Version [CTS-PC], Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment [PAPA]), child’s anxiety symptoms (PAPA), and participated in 20-minute semi-structured video-recorded parent-child interaction tasks. Interactions included a series of challenging tasks (Wakschlag et al., 2008) including instructions to color, clean up, complete 3 puzzles, read, and free play. In a previous analysis in this sample, we demonstrated that adversity exposure increased the odds of meeting criteria for any anxiety disorder (i.e., meeting criteria for any anxiety disorder on the preschool age psychopathology (PAPA); Stein, et al., in prep). Here, we examine the degree to which three observed parenting behaviors - positive (sensitive/supportiveness, positive regard), anxious (anxious and tense behaviors or speech), intrusive (interrupts child’s autonomy or independence) - moderate this association. All analyses controlled for child age, sex, race, parent education, number of parents in the home, and the other dimensions of coded parenting behaviors. Results. Controlling for parenting behavior, children who experienced high levels of adversity (4+ stressors) were 3.2 times more likely than children who experienced no/low adversity to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In the full sample neither intrusive parenting (OR: 0.8), nor positive parenting (OR: 1.0) significantly increased the likelihood that a child would meet criteria for an anxiety disorder. However, significant moderation of the link between adversity and anxiety was observed. For children with high adversity exposure, having a caregiver who had low observed rates of positive parenting (OR: 3.6) or low rates of intrusive parenting (OR: 4.3) increased the odds of meeting criteria for any anxiety disorder relative to their peers with low adversity exposure. In contrast, having a parent with high rates of observed positive (OR: 1.5) or high rates of intrusive parenting (OR: 1.6) were more protected from the impact of adversity on anxiety disorder diagnosis. Conclusions. These results suggest observations of positive parenting, and behaviors categorized as intrusive, may act as a protective buffer against exposure to adverse experiences. It is possible some intrusive parenting behaviors observed in the lab (e.g., taking control over activities, providing high levels of direction in task-oriented activities) serve an adaptive function in the context of a history of adversity exposure. This parenting style may help children who experienced high adversity perceive lower levels of independent responsibility, which is appropriate in this age group, and thus reduce the likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder.

Authors

• Ilana S Berman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Presenting Author

• Cheryl Stein, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nissa R Towe-Goodman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kimberly Carpenter, Duke Univeristy
  Non-Presenting Author

• William Copeland, University of Vermont
  Non-Presenting Author

• Margaret A. Sheridan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Non-Presenting Author

• Helen Egger, New York University Langone, Child Study Center
  Non-Presenting Author