title: The relationship between challenging parenting behaviour and childhood anxiety disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This research investigates the relationship between challenging parenting behaviour and childhood anxiety disorders proposed by Bögels and Phares (2008). Challenging parenting behaviour involves the playful encouragement of children to go beyond their own limits, and may decrease children's risk for anxiety (Bögels and Phares, 2008).
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents (n=164 mothers and 144 fathers) of 164 children aged between 3.4 and 4.8 years participated in the current study. A multi-method, multi-informant assessment of anxiety was used, incorporating data from diagnostic interviews as well as questionnaire measures. Parents completed self-report measures of their parenting behaviour (n=147 mothers and 138 fathers) and anxiety (n=154 mothers and 143 fathers). Mothers reported on their child's anxiety via questionnaire as well as diagnostic interview (n=156 and 164 respectively). Of these children, 74 met criteria for an anxiety disorder and 90 did not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fathers engaged in challenging parenting behaviour more often than mothers. Both mothers' and fathers' challenging parenting behaviour was associated with lower report of child anxiety symptoms. However, only mothers' challenging parenting behaviour was found to predict child clinical anxiety diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Shared method variance from mothers confined the interpretation of these results. Moreover, due to study design, it is not possible to delineate cause and effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The finding with respect to maternal challenging parenting behaviour was not anticipated, prompting replication of these results. Future research should investigate the role of challenging parenting behaviour by both caregivers as this may have implications for parenting interventions for anxious children.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Australia. Electronic address: rebecca.lazarus@mq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lazarus
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK.
authors.forename: Helen F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Majdandžić
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wieke
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Vente
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Australia.
authors.forename: Talia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Australia.
authors.forename: Yulisha
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Byrow
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bögels
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Australia.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hudson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety disorders; Challenging parenting behaviour; Fathers; Mothers