Evaluating Efficacy of a Parent Only Intervention for Childhood Anxiety and Parenting Styles as Potential Mediators of Change: A Pilot Study

Miss Jaya Valvoi (). Evaluating Efficacy of a Parent Only Intervention for Childhood Anxiety and Parenting Styles as Potential Mediators of Change: A Pilot Study Professional Doctorate, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland.

       
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Author Miss Jaya Valvoi
Thesis Title Evaluating Efficacy of a Parent Only Intervention for Childhood Anxiety and Parenting Styles as Potential Mediators of Change: A Pilot Study
School, Centre or Institute School of Psychology
Institution The University of Queensland
Thesis type Professional Doctorate
Supervisor Dr Vanessa Cobham
Prof Matt Sanders
Total pages 162
Total black and white pages 162
Abstract/Summary This study investigated the effectiveness of a CBT based parent only intervention in treating childhood anxiety. Additionally, the parenting styles: over-controlling parenting, rejecting parenting and anxious rearing, were explored as potential mediators of change seen in child anxiety symptomatology in the parenting program. Thirty children aged between 7 to 13 years who met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder, were randomly allocated to a treatment or a waitlist control condition. Families were assessed at intake and post-assessment, and treatment families completed a further follow-up at 3 months. A variety of measures were used, including a diagnostic interview and questionnaires assessing child and parent functioning. After the 6 week parenting intervention, children significantly improved on measures of anxiety and internalizing symptoms (both self- and parent report), while no significant changes in anxiety were observed for children after a 6 week waitlist period. A similar pattern of results were found for depressive and externalizing symptoms, although these effects did not reach significance. Importantly, at post assessment, 46.3% of children in the treatment group were free of all anxiety diagnoses, compared to no control children. Further, 66.7% of treatment children were free of their pre-treatment primary diagnosis, compared to only 6.7% of control children. Three months after the intervention, results indicated children either maintained post treatment effects, or improved on measures of anxiety and depression. At follow-up, remission rates had increased for children in the treatment group; 78.6% of children were free of all anxiety diagnoses and 85.7% were free of their pre-treatment primary diagnosis. No significant changes were found over time, on the internalizing and externalizing symptoms of children in the treatment condition. This was hypothesized to have been due to a lack of power. Results on parenting revealed no change in parenting styles from intake to post assessment in the treatment or control group, and no mediation of parenting was observed. Unexpectedly, findings revealed positive associations between parenting styles and some measures of anxiety. The interpretation and potential clinical implications of the findings are discussed, together with suggestions for future research.
Keyword Childhood, child, anxiety, treatment, parenting program, parent, mediator

 
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Created: Wed, 15 Dec 2010, 11:53:39 EST by Miss Jaya Valvoi