Familial predictors of treatment outcome in childhood anxiety disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether family factors are predictive of outcome in children with anxiety disorders who are receiving cognitive-behavioral treatment.


METHODS
Participants were 61 children aged 8 to 12 years (mean = 10.0, SD = 1.4) with Axis I anxiety disorders who had been referred to a large Toronto children's hospital. Parents and children completed measures assessing family functioning, parenting stress, parental frustration, and parental psychopathology before and after treatment. Outcome measures included clinician-rated functioning (Children's Global Assessment Scale) and self- and parent-rated anxiety (Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale).


RESULTS
Child ratings of family dysfunction and frustration predicted clinician-rated improvement (total R2 = 0.28, p < .001). Mother and father reports of family dysfunction, and maternal parenting stress, predicted mother-rated child improvement (total R2 = 0.18, p < .01). Father-rated somatization and child reports of family dysfunction and frustration predicted child-rated improvement (total R2 = 0.25, p < .001). Several family factors improved with treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Family dysfunction appears to be related to less favorable treatment outcome in children with anxiety disorders.
Crawford
A M
AM
Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, Canada. mcrawford@oise.utoronto.ca
Manassis
K
K
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009679:Nuclear Family / Q000523:psychology*; D009864:Ontario; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome