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This study examined child-related cognition in parents of 3- to 9-year-old children (N = 30). Parents completed cognitive tasks to examine their interpretation of ambiguous scenarios, and to see how they generated and evaluated possible outcomes to neutral child-related events, including predicted child and parent distress. These tasks were completed under two conditions: (i) after parents’ anxiety had been manipulated upwards by the experimenter; (ii) whilst in their normal state. When the parents completed the cognitive tasks in the ‘anxious’ condition, they interpreted child-related ambiguous scenarios as more threatening in the open response format [t(29) = 2.43, P < 0.05], generated a greater proportion of negative outcomes to neutral child-related events, [t(29) = 4.30, P < 0.001] and predicted these outcomes would be more distressing for both their child [t(29) = 2.71, P < 0.05] and themselves [t(29) = 4.76, P < 0.001]. No significant differences were found in the forced choice responses to the ambiguous scenarios, and parents did not predict negative outcomes to be more likely in the ‘anxious’ condition. These results suggest that parental anxiety leads to an increase in child-related cognition characterised by threat and distress. The implications of these findings and area for future research are discussed.

Research examining parenting factors in the development of anxiety has focused largely on the concepts of parental warmth and overcontrolling or intrusive parenting, This study investigated the relationship between these factors, and also parental discipline style and anxiety using self-report methodology with a sample of 16-18 year olds. In order to try to explain the relationship between parenting and anxiety, measures of cognition were also included. A multiple regression was conducted including all parenting factors as predictors of trait anxiety. The regression was a modest fit (R(2)=22%) and the model was significant (F(4, 141)=9.90, p

Objective\ud Despite recent advances, there are still no interventions that have been developed for the specific treatment of young children who have anxiety disorders. This study examined the impact of a new, cognitive–behaviorally based parenting intervention on anxiety symptoms.\ud \ud Method\ud Families of 74 anxious children (aged 9 years or less) took part in a randomized controlled trial, which compared the new 10-session, group-format intervention with a wait-list control condition. Outcome measures included blinded diagnostic interview and self-reports from parents and children.\ud \ud Results\ud Intention-to-treat analyses indicated that children whose parent(s) received the intervention were significantly less anxious at the end of the study than those in the control condition. Specifically, 57% of those receiving the new intervention were free of their primary disorder, compared with 15% in the control condition. Moreover, 32% of treated children were free of any anxiety diagnosis at the end of the treatment period, compared with 6% of those in the control group. Treatment gains were maintained at 12-month follow-up.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud This new parenting-based intervention may represent an advance in the treatment of this previously neglected group. Clinical trial registration information: Anxiety in Young Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a New Cognitive-Behaviourally Based Parenting Intervention; http://www.isrctn.org/; ISRCTN12166762.