Anxious mother - anxious children?

[David Baxter PhD]

Anxious mother - anxious children?
April 2, 2008

Children of mothers with anxiety disorders have an increased risk of developing anxiety themselves, compared with children of mothers who are not anxious.

This new study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, confirmed and extended the findings of previous research. It also went further to distinguish between different anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder and separation anxiety.

The researchers analyzed data on 933 mother-child pairs from the Early Developmental Stages of Psychopathology, a prospective longitudinal community survey.

The children were aged 14-17 at the start of the study, and were followed up twice. In a separate survey, their biological mothers were also interviewed. Anxiety disorders were assessed in both groups.

It was found that 27.4% of the mothers studied, and 33% of their children, had an anxiety disorder. Mothers with and without anxiety disorders differed in relation to their current living situation (with partner 76.5% v. 83.8% respectively) and educational level (higher education 20.5% v. 29.1% respectively).

In particular, social anxiety disorder/social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder in mothers were found to increase the risk of anxiety disorders in their children.

Increased anxiety disorders in children were also associated with early onset and more anxiety disorders in their mothers, as well as more severe impairment.

A highly significant increased risk of separation anxiety was found in the children of mothers with panic disorder compared to those without (89.2% v. 1.7%).

Higher rates of panic disorder (7.4% v. 1.3%) and phobia (20.2% v. 9.1%) were found in children of mothers with compared to those without generalized anxiety disorder.

Interestingly, say the researchers, children of mothers with and without anxiety disorders did not differ in age at first onset of anxiety, possibly because phobias in particular develop relatively early in life, irrespective of family history.

Increased rates of anxiety in the children were found only when their mothers met three specific diagnostic criteria - considerable impairment in daily life; onset of anxiety before the age of 20; and at least 2 anxiety disorders. Thus only severe maternal anxiety disorder is associated with an increased rate of anxiety disorders in children.

The researchers conclude that the type of maternal anxiety disorder and its severity contribute to the link between anxiety disorders in mothers and their children.

Reference: Schreier A, Wittchen H-U, Hofler M and Lieb R. Anxiety disorders in mothers and their children: prospective longitudinal community study. Br J Psychiatry. 2008 Apr;192:308-309 [Abstract]

Admin comment: What this post doesn't state is whether the mothers with anxiety disorders were receiving any sort of treatment and if so what sort of treatment and the effectiveness of that treatment. I would expect that untreated anxiety disorders in the mother would have a much more negative impact than anxiety disorders where the mother had acquired good management and coping skills.

 

[Lana]

I'm curious, could this developed anxiety disorder in children be attributed to learned behavior rather then anxiety per se? A parent with anxiety follows a certain behavior pattern and exhibits certain views and attitudes. Would that behavior, rather then disorder, not transfer to a child? How can we differentiate when something is a learned behavior vs disorder?

 

[Halo]

Lana are you talking say for instance of a parent has a specific phobia and therefore transfers those fears onto their child?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

My guess is that it would be a combination of genetics and observed behavior. Hence my comment that I don't think the impact would be as big if the mother's anxiety was under good control/managament.

 

[braveheart]

For me it's definitely a combination. Both my parents have [undiagnosed, but none the less still present] anxiety [and depression for that matter.] I learnt to be anxious, I also felt anxious around their unpredicatable and distant behaviour. I probably also inherited it, who knows..

 

[lallieth]

Both my parents had anxiety/depression issues,as did my brothers,but I don't ever remember seeing those anxious/depressive moments.For me I wouldn't say it was a learned behaviour as much as it is genetic

 

[Lana]

Ok, so if this passing of disorders is genetic, would it apply to other disorders also?? For me, learned behavior makes more sense. I do think that there is predisposition, but that, or correlation, do not identify cause or direction of causality. It may very well be attributed to a third variable, some sort of a trigger....like stress.

 

[ladylore]

My mother had the same problem - therefore I became the peacemaker. If she was happy, everyone was happy. So I was the one that always tried to soothe her. At least when I was home anyways.

 

[braveheart]

My parents were over anxious about me. This anxiety started with a very real anxiety about my survival, following a traumatic premature birth.
Part of how they were with me as a child, was over-protection, but also under protection, because they missed protecting me from what I really needed protecting from - severe bullying and an unstable father who's behaviour had become abusive towards us both.
I can't help but be influenced by that.
My father's anxiety bordered on paranoia, which I've internalised, as well as developing my own. That had a devastating impact. And is taking a lot of unravelling, as there are so many layers.

 

[Lana]

Lana are you talking say for instance of a parent has a specific phobia and therefore transfers those fears onto their child?

Sorry, Halo, I forgot to answer your question. I was asking more in terms of general anxiety, rather then phobias (they're just too specific). However, I can see that being the case with phobias also, just not so much.

Braveheart, I think that you were in such a tight spot with that. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you. I can certainly see how that would cause anxiety, for all involved. But again, I see it as situational/enviromental rather than genetic.

 

[Kanadiana]

I think some people are just born more "high strung" and are very sensitive to stress and that their physiologies just "over-react" ... I also think that a lot of reactions are learned from the people around us. Parents usually the ones with us and their handling of people, life and situations is a modelling we learn to mimic? I think we pick up on and learn the anxious fretting and coping reactions mostly from those around us. But that's all only my guesses.

Another thing, there was a lot of chaos and anxiety provoking and fearful events and people around me as a kid and its not hard to understand how I'd end up with a chronic anxiety problem as a way of life and getting through it. Like a negative habitual way of coping and if it can be learned, then it can be unlearned I figure, with treatment and changes. I can't imagine anyone with my childhood NOT having anxiety disorders follow them through life and interfering with the present realities. Its hard to change patterns. I know a lot of people from my childhood who have the same anxiety etc problems I have done, and do, and I think most is from truly anxiety provoking lives plus anxious reacting modelled behaviors.

When I'm anxious around my kid, that makes her anxious ... and so on ...

Thats my 2 cents worth Now back to fretting about tomorrow EEK