The Effect of Perceived Child Anxiety Status on Parental Latency to Intervene with Anxious and Nonanxious Youth

Objective: We examined the effect of perceived child anxiety status on parental latency to intervene with anxious and nonanxious youth. Method: Parents (68) of anxiety-disordered (PAD) and nonanxiety-disordered (PNAD; 56) children participated. Participants listened and responded to an audio vignette of a parent-child interaction: Half were told the child was anxious, and half were given a neutral description. Participants completed measures of anxiety and emotional responding before and after the audio vignette and signaled when the mother on the vignette should accommodate the child. Results: Whereas PNAD responded significantly faster when provided with neutral information about the child than when told the child was anxious, PAD did not differ in response latency. However, PAD exhibited a significant increase in state anxiety and negative affect and a decrease in positive affect after the vignette, whereas PNAD did not. Conclusions: Results suggest that PNAD are more flexible and adaptable in their parenting behavior than PAD and that the greater anxiety and emotional lability of PAD may influence their parenting. Suggestions for research are discussed. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure, and 7 footnotes.)