Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2025 May 9. doi: 10.1007/s11920-025-01614-8. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Childhood anxiety disorders are impairing and chronic unless addressed early. While cognitive behavioral therapy with exposures has a strong evidence base, many youth continue to experience symptoms posttreatment. Enlisting parents may help improve the management and treatment of childhood anxiety.
RECENT FINDINGS: Parental factors that influence childhood anxiety include family accommodation, parental emotion socialization, parental overcontrol, and parental anxiety. The merits of involving parents in childhood anxiety treatment have been debated. However, when specific, empirically- and theoretically-informed mechanisms are targeted, parental involvement in treatment appears efficacious and holds promise to increase access to care. Clinicians should consider the child’s presentation, treatment barriers, and family dynamics to guide decision-making. Researchers and clinicians should also be aware of stressors that parents themselves face, considering ways to help children via supporting parents with their own mental health concerns.
PMID:40343658 | DOI:10.1007/s11920-025-01614-8
