Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Relation Between Fears and Anxiety in Children with Specific Phobia and Parental Fears and Anxiety

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Child and Family Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate if fearfulness and anxiety in children with a specific phobia are related to parental fearfulness and anxiety. Sixty-five 7–18 year-old children that were included in a treatment study completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), and the revised version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R). The parents of the children answered the adult versions of STAI and FSS; rated to what extent they generally expressed fears in the presence of their children, and answered whether they suffered from any emotional or mental disorders. Analyses showed that there were no correlations between parental fearfulness or anxiety and fearfulness or anxiety in the children, or between parents’ expressed fears and children’s reported fears. However, there was a positive correlation between mothers’ expressed fears and level of trait anxiety in the children. Moreover, age and trait anxiety of the children were significant predictors of their fearfulness. Regarding the question about parental emotional or mental disorder, 54 % of the children had at least one parent suffering from an emotional or mental disorder. In 46 % a parent had an anxiety disorder, and in 32 % this was a specific phobia.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (1988). The fear survey schedule III and its correlation with personality in Egyptian samples. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 19, 113–118.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aktar, E., Majdandžić, M., de Vente, W., & Bögels, S. M. (2014). Parental social anxiety disorder prospectively predicts toddlers’ fear/avoidance in a social referencing paradigm. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 77–87. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12121.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Albano, A. M., & Silverman, W. K. (1996). The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children for DSM-IV: Clinician Manual (Child and Parent Versions). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, D C.: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, J. C. (1994). Epidemiological issues. In T. H. Ollendick, N. J. King, & W. Yule (Eds.), International handbook of phobia and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (pp. 43–65). New York: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, J. C., Williams, S. M., McGee, R., & Silva, P. (1987). DSM-III disorders in pre-adolescent children: Prevalence in a large sample from the general population. Archives of General Psychiatry, 44, 69–76.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barrios, B. A., Hartmann, D. P., & Shigetomi, C. (1981). Fears and anxieties in children. In E. J. Mash & L. G. Terdal (Eds.), Behavioural assessment of childhood disorders (pp. 259–304). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beidel, D., & Turner, S. (1997). At risk for anxiety I: Psychopathology in the offspring of anxious parents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 918–924.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, G. A., Layne, A. E., Egan, E. A., & Nelson, L. P. (2005). Maternal phobic anxiety and child anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 19, 658–672.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Biederman, J., Rosenbaum, J. F., Bolduc, E. A., Faraone, S. Y., & Hirshfeld, D. R. (1991). A high risk study of young children of parents with panic disorder and agoraphobia with and without comorbid major depression. Psychiatry Research, 37, 333–348.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burkhardt, K., Loxton, H., Kagee, A., & Ollendick, T. (2012). Construction and validation of the South African version of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children: An exploratory factor analysis. Behaviour Therapy, 43, 570–582. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2012.02.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham, J. J., & Gullone, E. (1997). The Fear Survey Schedule for Children-II: A psychometric investigation with American data. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 165–173.

  • Cobham, V. E., Dadds, M. R., Spence, S. H., & McDermott, B. (2010). Parental anxiety in the treatment of childhood anxiety: A different story three years later. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 39, 410–420. doi:10.1080/15374411003691719.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, P. J., Fearn, V., Willetts, L., Seabrook, H., & Parkinson, M. (2006). Affective disorder in the parents of a clinic sample of children with anxiety disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 93, 205–212.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costello, E. J., & Angold, A. (1995). Epidemiology. In J. S. March (Ed.), Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (pp. 109–124). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costello, E. J., Costello, A. J., Edelbrock, C. S., Burns, B. J., Dulcan, M. J., Brent, D., & Janiszewski, S. (1988). DSM-IV disorders in pediatric primary care: Prevalence and risk factors. Archives of General Psychiatry, 45, 1107–1116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eaton, W. W., Dryman, A., & Weissman, M. M. (1991). Panic and phobia. In L. N. Robins & D. A. Regier (Eds.), Psychiatric disorders in America: The epidemiologic catchment area study (pp. 155–179). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eme, R., & Schmidt, D. (1978). The stability of children’s fears. Child Development, 49, 1277–1279.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, M. W. (1992). Anxiety: The cognitive perspective. Hillsdale, NJ: LEA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnsen, B. H., & Hugdahl, K. (1990). Fear questionnaires for simple phobias: Psychometric evaluations for a Norwegian sample. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 31, 42–48.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kashani, J. H., & Orvaschel, H. (1990). A community study of anxiety in children and adolescents. American Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 313–318.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walter, E. E. (2005a). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 593–602.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Chiu, W. T., Demler, O., & Walters, E. E. (2005b). Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 617–627. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.617.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • King, N. J., Hamilton, D. I., & Ollendick, T. H. (1988). Children’s phobias: A behavioral perspective. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Last, C. G., Hersen, M., Kazdin, A. E., Francis, G., & Grubb, H. J. (1987a). Psychiatric illness in the mothers of anxious children. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1580–1583.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Last, C. G., Phillips, J. E., & Statfeld, A. (1987b). Childhood anxiety disorders in mothers and their children. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 18, 103–112.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manassis, K., Mendlowitz, S., & Menna, R. (1997). Child and parent reports of childhood anxiety: Differences in coping styles. Depression and Anxiety, 6, 62–69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mancini, C., van Ameringen, M., Szatmari, P., Fugere, C., & Boyle, M. (1996). A high-risk pilot study of the children of adults with social phobia. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 1511–1517.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, C., Cabrol, S., Bouvard, M. P., Lepine, J. P., & Mouren-Simeoni, M. C. (1999). Anxiety and depressive disorders in fathers and mothers of anxious school-refusing children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 916–922.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McGee, R., Feehan, M., Williams, S., Partridge, F., Silva, P., & Kelly, J. (1990). DSM-III disorders in a large sample of adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 611–619.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, R. J., & Kratochwill, T. R. (1991). Childhood fears and phobias. In T. R. Kratochwill & R. J. Morris (Eds.), The practice of child therapy (pp. 76–114). New York: Pergamon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muris, P., Schmidt, H., & Merckelbach, H. (1999). The structure of specific phobia symptoms among children and adolescents. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 863–868.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muris, P., Steememan, P., Merckelbach, H., & Meesters, C. (1996). The role of parental fearfulness and modeling in children’s fear. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 265–268.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, L., De Rosnay, M., Pearson, J., Bergeron, C., Schofield, E., Royal-Lawson, M., & Cooper, P. J. (2008). Intergenerational transmission of social anxiety: The role of social referencing processes in infancy. Child Development, 79, 1049–1064. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01175.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ollendick, T. H. (1978). The Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised. Unpublished manuscript, Terre Haute, Ind.: Indiana State University.

  • Ollendick, T. H. (1983). Reliability and validity of the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21, 685–692.

  • Ollendick, T. H., & King, N. J. (1994). Fears and their level of interference in adolescents. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 32, 635–638.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perrin, S., & Last, C. G. (1992). Do childhood anxiety measures measure anxiety? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20, 567–578.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poulton, R., Trainor, P., Stanton, W., McGee, R., Davies, S., & Silva, P. (1997). The (in)stability of adolescent fears. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 159–163.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, W. K., Kurtines, W. M., Jaccard, J., & Pina, A. A. (2009). Directionality of change in youth anxiety treatment involving parents: An initial examination. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(3), 474–485. doi:10.1037/a0015761.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Somers, J. M., Goldner, E. M., Waraich, P., & Hsu, L. (2006). Prevalence and incidence studies of anxiety disorders: A systematic review of the literatura. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 51, 100–113.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D., Edwards, C. D., Lushene, R. E., Montouri, J., & Platzek, O. (1973). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., & Lushene, R. E. (1970). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Svensson, L., & Öst, L.-G. (1999). Fears in Swedish children. A normative study of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised. Scandinavian Journal of Behaviour Therapy, 28, 23–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, S. M., Beidel, O. C., & Costello, A. (1987). Psychopathology in the offspring of anxiety disorders patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 229–235.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Unnewehr, S., Schneider, S., Florin, I., & Margraf, J. (1998). Psychopathology in children of patients with panic disorder or animal phobia. Psychopathology, 31, 69–84.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warner, V., Mufson, L., & Weissman, M. M. (1995). Offspring at high and low risk for depression and anxiety: Mechanisms of psychiatric disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 786–797.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weems, C. F., Silverman, W. K., Saavedra, L. M., Pina, A. A., & Lumpkin, P. W. (1999). The discrimination of children’s phobias using the Revised Fear Survey Schedule for Children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 941–952. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00511.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, C., & Kendall, P. C. (2014). Parental involvement: Contribution to childhood anxiety and its treatment. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review,. doi:10.1007/s10567-014-0170-6.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolpe, J., & Lang, P. (1964). A fear schedule for use in behaviour therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2, 27–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Grant 12681 from the Swedish Medical Research Council and a grant from the Söderström–König Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Santiago, Chile

    Lisa Clefberg Liberman

  2. Section of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Lars-Göran Öst

Authors
  1. Lisa Clefberg Liberman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lars-Göran Öst
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa Clefberg Liberman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Clefberg Liberman, L., Öst, LG. The Relation Between Fears and Anxiety in Children with Specific Phobia and Parental Fears and Anxiety. J Child Fam Stud 25, 598–606 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0222-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0222-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation