(PS9-C67) Relations Between Fathers' Parenting and Child Anxiety Risk: Implications for Family CBT Interventions

Though child-focused CBT is effective on its own in treating child anxiety symptoms (Bodden et al., 2008), there is some evidence that targeting specific parenting behaviors, such as intrusiveness and autonomy granting, from a family CBT (FCBT) approach may be more effective (Wood et al., 2006). However, the majority of treatment and etiology studies primarily sample mothers (Bögels & Phares, 2008; Chiu et al., 2013), neglecting the role of fathers in child anxiety presentation and development. Thus, the current study examined how fathers’ parenting behaviors predict and are predicted by child fearful temperament (FT), a known predictor of anxiety disorders (Biederman et al., 2001), across infancy and toddlerhood. Results may provide implications for early intervention when working with fathers of anxious children.

116 children (43.1% female; 88.7% white) participated in lab assessments at ages 1 year (T1), 2 years (T2), and 3 years (T3). Also at each time point, fathers completed two survey measures. The Child Rearing Practices Report (Block, 1965) assessed the frequency with which fathers engaged in restrictive, protective, nurturing, and encouragement of independence behaviors. The Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (Carter & Briggs-Gowan, 2000) assessed fathers’ perceptions of their child’s FT. Additionally, at each time point, children completed a battery of observational tasks to assess their FT (Fox et al., 2001).

A series of four path analysis models were conducted in MPlus Version 7.3 (Muthén & Muthén, 2012) to determine concurrent and longitudinal relations between each parenting behavior and child FT . In the nurturance model, nurturance and observed FT were positively related at T1 (r=.12, p=.045) and at T3 (r=.11, p=.010). Furthermore, paternal nurturance at T1 predicted lower observed FT at T3 (b=-.65, SE=.32, p=.040). In the restrictiveness model, restrictiveness at T2 predicted observed FT at T3 (b=.55, SE=.23, p=.019). In the encouragement of independence model, encouragement and observed FT were positively associated at T3 (r=.33, p=.002). Furthermore, observed FT at T1 predicted encouragement of independence at T2 (b=.25, SE=.10, p=.014). The protectiveness model yielded no significant results, and, with the exception of intravariable stability, perceived FT did not relate to any variables across all models and phases (all p>.05). Overall, paternal behaviors of nurturance, restrictiveness, and encouragement of independence were all positively associated with observed FT, and these relations were more widespread at later stages of toddlerhood.

Findings suggest both that the way fathers parent predicts and is predicted by their child’s anxiety development, and that this relation occurs across a greater number of behaviors over time. This demonstrates the importance of considering the role of fathers when treating child anxiety. Furthermore, results suggest that in addition to targeting intrusive- and independence-based behaviors, it may be important to target nurturing behaviors when working with fathers in the treatment of child anxiety while using a FCBT approach.