Parental Self-Blame and Child Anxiety Symptoms: The Moderating Roles of Child Age and Parental Work Hours

Background: Anxiety in childhood is a global problem and can lead to anxiety disorders later in life. Previous research suggests that the emotion regulation style of the parents has an influence on the development of anxiety in their children. Maladaptive styles, such as self- blame, are generally linked to higher levels of anxiety in children. This study aimed to explore the association between parental self-blame and child anxiety symptoms. Specifically, we tested whether this relationship was strengthened by the child’s age or by the parental occupational workload. Methods: Participants were recruited from the general population in the Netherlands. The final sample for analysis consisted of 167 parent-child dyads (child age range 8–18). Parents and children completed a survey self-reporting on parental self-blame (CERQ-Short), child anxiety (SCARED-41), child age, and parental work hours. Two linear regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. Results: Parental self...Show moreBackground: Anxiety in childhood is a global problem and can lead to anxiety disorders later in life. Previous research suggests that the emotion regulation style of the parents has an influence on the development of anxiety in their children. Maladaptive styles, such as self- blame, are generally linked to higher levels of anxiety in children. This study aimed to explore the association between parental self-blame and child anxiety symptoms. Specifically, we tested whether this relationship was strengthened by the child’s age or by the parental occupational workload. Methods: Participants were recruited from the general population in the Netherlands. The final sample for analysis consisted of 167 parent-child dyads (child age range 8–18). Parents and children completed a survey self-reporting on parental self-blame (CERQ-Short), child anxiety (SCARED-41), child age, and parental work hours. Two linear regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. Results: Parental self-blame was not significantly correlated with child anxiety symptoms. The relationship between parental self-blame and anxiety in children was not stronger for younger children. A lower amount of parental workload did not strengthen the relationship between parental self-blame and children’s anxiety. Conclusion: Neither children’s age nor parental workload strengthened the link between parental self-blame and children’s anxiety. The reasons for the null findings might be the limitations of the study, especially the low reliability of the CERQ-short. Nevertheless, it is also possible that self-blame, as an internal cognitive attribution, is less modeled by the parents and observed by their children than assumed.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

Parental Self-Blame and Child Anxiety Symptoms: The Moderating Roles of Child Age and Parental Work Hours