Abstract
To determine whether mothers with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia interacted differently with their children than normal control mothers, 86 mothers and their adolescents (aged between 13 and 23 years) were observed during a structured play situation. Maternal as well as adolescent anxiety status was assessed according to a structured diagnostic interview. Results showed that mothers with panic disorder/agoraphobia showed more verbal control, were more criticizing and less sensitive during mother–child interaction than mothers without current mental disorders. Moreover, more conflicts were observed between mother and child dyadic interactions when the mother suffered from panic disorder. The comparison of parenting behaviors among anxious and non-anxious children did not reveal any significant differences. These findings support an association between parental over-control and rejection and maternal but not child anxiety and suggest that particularly mother anxiety status is an important determinant of parenting behavior. Finally, an association was found between children’s perceived self-efficacy, parental control and child anxiety symptoms.
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Notes
The scales of each variable are mentioned in brackets.
The original version of the AMCIES does not contain the scale “child verbal control” This scale was newly developed analog to the “mother verbal control” scale.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the German Ministry of Science, Research and Education DLR grant 01 EG 9731/4 and is part of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Swiss Etiological Study of Adjustment and Mental Health (sesam) funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) (project no. 51A240-104890). The study received ethical permission from the German Association of Psychology.
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Schneider, S., Houweling, J.E.G., Gommlich-Schneider, S. et al. Effect of maternal panic disorder on mother–child interaction and relation to child anxiety and child self-efficacy. Arch Womens Ment Health 12, 251–259 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-009-0072-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-009-0072-7