Given the widespread occurrence and negative consequences of anxiety disorders in children, it is crucial to investigate the factors preceding their development. While environmental factors and...Show moreGiven the widespread occurrence and negative consequences of anxiety disorders in children, it is crucial to investigate the factors preceding their development. While environmental factors and genetics are recognised as contributors to children’s anxiety symptoms, parents’ internal processes such as emotion regulation strategies have not often been considered. This study is the first that aims to investigate the relationship between parental suppression and children’s anxiety symptoms. Further, it proposes that this relationship may be influenced by children’s age, implying this relationship being stronger for younger children. The study was a cross-sectional online survey which collected data from parent-child dyads (N = 189) over a period of one year. Parents completed the subscale of the Affective Styles Questionnaire to conduct parental suppression levels and children filled in the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders questionnaire to measure children’s anxiety symptoms. Against our expectations, parental suppression was not related to children’s anxiety symptoms and children’s age did not impact this relationship. A possible reason for this may be the lack of differentiation of suppressed parental emotions in this study. Nevertheless, our study contributes to the literature by investigating a unique research question utilising a large sample size while being cost-effective. Future research should focus on the effect that parental suppression of specific emotions such as anger or sadness has on children’s anxiety symptoms. Implications regarding the development of interventions targeting maladaptive parental emotion regulation strategies are discussed.Show less
