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Examining the Relationship Between Parental Anxiety and Treatment Response in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anxiety

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Abstract

In response to the high co-occurrence of anxiety symptoms in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), several interventions have been developed for this population. In spite of promising findings, some youth with ASD respond only minimally to such interventions. To understand potential factors that may impact treatment response, the current study explores the role of parental anxiety in youth treatment outcome. Thirty-one youth with ASD, ages 7–18, and their parents participated in the study. Parents completed the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory pre- and post-treatment. Contrary to previous research, there was no correlation between parental anxiety and youth anxiety at baseline or post-treatment. However, parental trait anxiety significantly decreased from pre- to post-treatment for parents of treatment responders. The findings are consistent with previous research and suggest a youth-to-parent influence.

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Notes

  1. These analyses are based on the SCARED total score, however, when applied to the individual subscales used as inclusion criteria, the results are similar.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the clinicians who facilitated the treatment groups and the families who participated in this study. The project was funded in part through Autism Speaks and NIH—R33MH089291-03. Additional support came in part from core grants awarded to JFK Partners, the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Grant #90DD0561. J.R., A.B.-S., and S.H. receive royalties from the Facing Your Fears Program, currently published by Paul Brookes Publishing (Reaven et al. 2011).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. JFK Partners, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, School of Medicine, 13121 E. 17th Ave. C-234, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Judy Reaven, Eric J. Moody, Susan L. Hepburn & Audrey Blakeley-Smith

  2. Rocky Mountain Human Services, Denver, CO, USA

    Lindsay Washington

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Jessica A. Stern

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  1. Judy Reaven
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  2. Lindsay Washington
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  3. Eric J. Moody
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  5. Susan L. Hepburn
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  6. Audrey Blakeley-Smith
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Correspondence to Judy Reaven.

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Reaven, J., Washington, L., Moody, E.J. et al. Examining the Relationship Between Parental Anxiety and Treatment Response in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anxiety. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 2464–2473 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2410-0

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