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A Preliminary Examination of the Link Between Maternal Experiential Avoidance and Parental Accommodation in Anxious and Non-anxious Children

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Abstract

Studies point to parental experiential avoidance (EA) as a potential correlate of maladaptive parenting behaviors associated with child anxiety. However, research has not examined the relationship between EA and parental accommodation of child anxiety, nor the extent to which parental negative beliefs about child anxiety help explain such a relationship. In a sample of mothers (N = 45) of anxious and non-anxious children, the present study investigated the potential link between maternal EA and accommodation of child anxiety and whether this link may be indirectly accounted for via maternal negative beliefs about child anxiety. EA was significantly and positively associated with accommodation of child anxiety, but when negative beliefs about child anxiety were incorporated into the model this direct effect was no longer significant. Findings highlight the contribution of parental emotions and cognitions to behaviors that may exacerbate child anxiety, and may inform treatment and prevention efforts with families of anxious youth.

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Funding

This work was supported by a Clara Mayo Memorial Fellowship Award (PI: Kerns) and by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) K23 MH090247 (PI: Comer).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Leah Feinberg & Jonathan S. Comer

  2. Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Caroline Kerns

  3. Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Donna B. Pincus

  4. Mental Health Interventions and Technology (MINT) Program, Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, 11200 S.W. 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Jonathan S. Comer

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  1. Leah Feinberg
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  2. Caroline Kerns
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  3. Donna B. Pincus
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  4. Jonathan S. Comer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jonathan S. Comer.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Comer receives royalties from Worth Publishers. No other authors have financial interests to declare.

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Feinberg, L., Kerns, C., Pincus, D.B. et al. A Preliminary Examination of the Link Between Maternal Experiential Avoidance and Parental Accommodation in Anxious and Non-anxious Children. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 49, 652–658 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-018-0781-0

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