Parent education effective at reducing anxiety disorders in children

Childhood anxiety is an important issue in child development, and research has shown that parent education can help to reduce symptoms of childhood anxiety.

In one study, researchers tested a parent education program designed to reduce the development of anxiety in preschool children. Parents were selected if their children displayed a high number of behaviors that placed them at risk for later anxiety, including withdrawal from group interactions. The parents then were assigned by chance to one of two groups: the intervention group, which included a 6-session parent education program or no intervention. The parent education program was group-based and especially brief in order to make it accessible and practical for parents.

The researchers found:

• Children whose parents participated in the parent education program were less likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder after 12 months compared to children of parents who received no intervention.
• The brief intervention did not change children’s overall temperament, but the children were better able to manage symptoms.
  

Childhood anxiety has immediate and long-term negative consequences for children and their families. This study shows that parent education may be an important early intervention strategy for reducing the likelihood that a child is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Programs can be designed to specifically address childhood anxiety and its symptoms or they can focus on issues surrounding anxiety, such as effects on school performance and family interactions. Both types of interventions have the potential to improve the quality of life for at-risk children and their families.