Family Factors in the Development and Management of Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

Family variables are thought to play a key role in a wide variety of psychopathology according to many theories. Yet, specific models of the development of anxiety disorders place little emphasis on general family factors despite clear evidence that anxiety runs in families. The current review examines evidence for the involvement of a number of family-related variables in the development of anxiety disorders as well as the importance of families in their management. Evidence across most areas is shown to be weak and inconsistent, with the one exception being an extensive literature on the role of parenting in the development of anxiety. There is also currently little evidence that family factors have a strong role to play in the treatment of anxiety, aside from research demonstrating the value of parents and partners as non-critical supports in therapy. The promises and hints in the literature, combined with the currently inconsistent methods, suggest that considerably more research is needed to determine whether specific family factors may yet be shown to play a key role in the development and management of anxiety disorders.

Parental and Family Factors as Predictors of Threat Bias in Anxious Youth

“…The present study sought to clarify these results within a larger clinical sample. Additionally, the literature examining other familial characteristics as predictors of specific symptomatology within child anxiety has been limited (Rapee 2012). Results revealed that children's negative perceptions of the family environment and parents' expectations of their child's threat bias were predictive of greater child threat bias, even after controlling for levels of child anxiety.…”

Parenting strategies for reducing the risk of childhood depression and anxiety disorders: A Delphi consensus study

“…actions parents can take have lagged behind the evidence (Creswell and Cartwright-Hatton, 2007;Garber, 2006;Rapee, 2012;Restifo and Bögels, 2009;Yap and Jorm, 2015). Indeed, there has been a call for more effective translation of research evidence about the importance of family processes for child depression and anxiety into preventive family interventions (Avenevoli and Merikangas, 2006;Fisak et al, 2011;Gladstone and Beardslee, 2009;Restifo and Bögels, 2009).…”

Parents’ Verbal Communication and Childhood Anxiety: A Systematic Review

“…Furthermore, previous reviews have typically included studies that used a broad range of methods, including both observations of actual parent verbal communication and measures of child or parent perceived verbal communication, on the basis of (sometimes retrospective) child-or parent-report questionnaires (e.g., Fisak and Grills-Taquechel 2007;Rapee 2012), making it difficult to draw conclusions on what is actually being measured. The potential limitation of combining these different approaches is highlighted by the fact that, in the case of parental behaviors more broadly, studies that have relied on parent or child self-report data have been much less consistent in establishing associations with child anxiety than those that have used observational measures (Wood et al 2003).…”