Parents' generalized and separation anxieties and early adolescents' anxiety disorders: The mediating role of overparenting

Objective

The study probes the role played by overparenting in the relationship between parent's and child's anxiety in early adolescents.

Background

Overparenting is manifested by developmentally inappropriate controlling parental practices, normally studied in the context of young adulthood, whereas its role in the etiology of children's anxiety has been given less empirical attention.

Method

The study consists of 278 parents (144 mothers, 134 fathers) with a mean age of 42.89 ± 4.15 years, each having at least one adolescent child aged 10–14.

Results

The results showed a strong association between the parent's generalized anxiety and the child's anxiety, which was partially mediated by paternal separation anxiety. Also, parental separation anxiety was associated with elevated overparenting practices among both mothers and fathers, but its relationship with the child's anxiety varied across parental gender. In this regard, the association between maternal separation anxiety and the child's anxiety was fully mediated by maternal overparenting.

Conclusion

The study sheds more light on this mechanism by underpinning the parental gender-based role of overparenting practices in the association between parent–child anxiety.

Implications

The findings highlight the importance of considering parent-gender-based factors in family therapy, particularly in the context of adolescent anxiety.