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Latino and Non-Latino Parental Treatment Preferences for Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders

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Abstract

There is frequently a presumption that Latino parents have a greater preference for involvement in their child’s treatment for anxiety compared to non-Latino white parents. However, parent involvement may increase burdens associated with treatment and research suggests that Latino individuals already face significantly greater barriers to obtaining mental health treatment. In the current study, we compared Latino and non-Latino parents’ preferences for parental involvement and perceptions of burdens in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth anxiety. 117 parents (57 Latino) completed measures to assess child anxiety, perceptions of treatment involvement, and burdens associated with treatment. There were no significant differences between Latino and non-Latino parents except for a trend toward Latino parents reporting more concerns about the feasibility of obtaining CBT for their child’s anxiety. Because Latino parents expressed concern about potential treatment barriers, cultural adaptations for treatment should focus on decreasing burdens associated with treatment rather than increasing parental involvement.

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Notes

  1. All parents were residing in the United States so although we use the terms “Latino” and “non-Latino” in the remainder of the manuscript, these terms refer to the participants’ family origins and not their current home country.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Science, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, 78539, USA

    Laura D. Seligman, Joseph D. Hovey & Marina Ibarra

  2. Prickly Pear Therapy and Training, Austin, TX, USA

    Gabriela Hurtado

  3. Child Study Center, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Carla E. Marin & Wendy K. Silverman

Authors
  1. Laura D. Seligman
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  2. Joseph D. Hovey
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  3. Marina Ibarra
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  4. Gabriela Hurtado
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  5. Carla E. Marin
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  6. Wendy K. Silverman
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Correspondence to Laura D. Seligman.

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Research procedures were reviewed and approved by the IRB at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley before any research activities commenced.

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Informed consent was sought and obtained from all participants prior to their involvement in any research procedures.

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Seligman, L.D., Hovey, J.D., Ibarra, M. et al. Latino and Non-Latino Parental Treatment Preferences for Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 51, 617–624 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-019-00945-x

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