What to do when you've tried it all: the development and pilot evaluation of a skills group for the parents of anxious youth

Research has identified a role for parenting behaviors in the maintenance of child and adolescent anxiety disorders (McCleod, Wood, & Weisz, 2007). This paper reviews the experimental and theoretical literature on the relationship between parenting and youth anxiety as well as the empirical support for parent involvement in child cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The present study describes the development and pilot evaluation of a brief cognitive-behaviorally oriented parent treatment group (CBT+PG) designed to augment individual child CBT for anxiety and presents a conceptual model on which the group is based, focusing on the relationship between parenting behaviors, parent and child distress, parental experiential avoidance, and youth anxiety. This study reports preliminary findings, including feasibility and acceptability of the program based on participant and expert feedback. It also includes case descriptions of three families who participated in the CBT+PG program and three families who received only individual child CBT. Preliminary results support the feasibility and acceptability of running this program in an outpatient setting. Parents were satisfied with the program (M=29.2, SD=.24, possible range=9-36), expert reviewers received it favorably (M=6.4, SD=.26, possible range=1-7), and it appeared to bestow some clinical benefits. This study was unique in that it assessed parenting behaviors, parental experiential avoidance, and parent psychopathology in addition to child outcomes. Discussion elaborates upon the role of these variables and implications for future research and practice involving parents in child anxiety treatment.Psy. D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Rachel A. Merso