title: Beliefs regarding child anxiety and parenting competence in parents of children with separation anxiety disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite the fact that numerous developmental models have highlighted the role of parental cognitive processes in connection with anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, the role of parents' beliefs about their children and parenting remains largely unexplored. This study investigated the specific association between parental beliefs and child separation anxiety.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of children with a diagnosis of Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) reported on beliefs and expectations related to their child's fears and own parenting competence. To study the potential specificity of relationships, a clinical control group of mothers of children with social phobia (SoP) and a group of mothers of children without a mental disorder (healthy controls, HC) were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicated that parents of anxious children had significantly higher levels of dysfunctional beliefs than the parents in the HC group. Mothers of children with SAD showed lower levels of parenting self-efficacy than mothers of children with SoP. They also demonstrated lower parenting self-efficacy and satisfaction compared to mothers of healthy children. Parental dysfunctional beliefs about child anxiety and paternal parenting self-efficacy were significantly positively associated with child anxiety. The effects remained significant after controlling for parental anxiety and depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to the cross-sectional design of the study, causality of the found effects cannot be inferred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data suggest that children's anxiety and parents' beliefs about their child's anxiety, coping skills and parenting are strongly associated. Further research is needed to investigate whether addressing parental cognitions in addition to parents' anxiety may improve prevention and intervention of child anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 62a, Basel 4055, Switzerland. chantal.herren@unibas.ch
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herren
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: In-Albon
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001010:Anxiety, Separation / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires