The Role of Experiential Avoidance and Parental Control in the Association Between Parent and Child Anxiety

Abstract

Parenting behavior and practices contribute to the intergenerational relationship between parent and child anxiety, with parental control being a consistent predictor of child anxiety. Parental experiential avoidance refers to how a parent copes with their internal world in the context of parenting. Little is known about how this relatively new parenting concept relates to child anxiety. The current study tested the indirect effect of parent anxiety on child anxiety through parental control and parental experiential avoidance; the indirect effect of parent anxiety on parental control through parental experiential avoidance; and the moderating effect of parental experiential avoidance on the relationship between parental control and child anxiety. Using a cross-sectional design, parents ( N = 85) from a community sample of 8–12-year-old children self-reported on a survey measuring parent anxiety, child anxiety, parental control, and parental experiential avoidance. A hierarchical regression indicated that parental experiential avoidance significantly predicted child anxiety and accounted for further variance in child anxiety, over, and above parental control. There was an indirect effect of parent anxiety on child anxiety through parental control and parental experiential avoidance. Parental experiential avoidance moderated the relationship between parental control and child anxiety, such that the relationship was only significant at high levels of parental experiential avoidance. The current study provides support for the role of parental experiential avoidance in an intergenerational understanding of anxiety. Future research should replicate the study with a clinical sample. Theoretical and practice implications are considered.

Relationship between parental anxiety and students’ academic stress at secondary level

“…So, it can simply be concluded that the actions and reactions of the children are influenced by the style of problem-solving strategies adopted by their parents. But a large number of researchers concluded that anxiety is directed by environmental forces (Chow et al, 2018;Emerson et al, 2019;Ren et al, 2020).…”

The use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in addressing family accommodation (FA) for child anxiety

“…FA may provide parents with a means of actively avoiding their own anxiety or discomfort in having to face their child's anxiety. Parental experiential avoidance has been cited as a relevant factor and a significant predictor of child anxiety, after controlling for parent anxiety and control (Emerson et al, 2019). Meyer et al (2018) reported that parental use of FA may be related to parental beliefs that not providing FA would result in the child losing behavioural and emotional control.…”

Effectiveness of a Web-Based Intervention on Parental Psychological Flexibility and Emotion Regulation: A Pilot Open Trial

“…Parental psychological flexibility is defined as the ability to be fully aware of the emotions and thoughts related to childcare, taking them in perspective, and redirecting behavior into parenting practices in line with values [ 8 ]. In contrast, experiential avoidance refers to attempts to reduce or eliminate events or stimuli that produce discomfort [ 9 ]. Experiential avoidance responses have been associated with problems of anxiety [ 9 ], stress [ 10 ], depression and family conflict [ 11 ] in both children and parents.…”

“…In contrast, experiential avoidance refers to attempts to reduce or eliminate events or stimuli that produce discomfort [ 9 ]. Experiential avoidance responses have been associated with problems of anxiety [ 9 ], stress [ 10 ], depression and family conflict [ 11 ] in both children and parents. Psychological inflexibility in parenting practices can lead to dysfunctional reactions or interactions as a result of cognitive fusion and avoidance of the emotional distress associated with parenting, i.e., avoiding children’s reactions, overprotective or impulsive parental reactions that occur with the function of trying to avoid confronting situations or private events (thoughts, emotions, feelings, sensations, etc.)…”