Read This Piece Of Writing To Find Out Regarding Anxiety In Kids
It has been a well-known fact for quite some time that restless parents can pass panic disorders on to their children. Although this fact is well known, nobody is prepared to say yes to this query "is anxiety inherited". However, a new research by the scientists at Johns Hopkins Children's Centre, came up with the conclusion that a family-based program where parents and children are treated together, may reduce the symptoms and risks of anxiety among these children.
Each person could possibly get anxious every once in awhile, but when the problem starts taking over one's life, the problem is then called anxiety disorder. It could be really nerve-racking and cease individuals from living their lives wholly. Many people with anxiety disorder may also have phobias and get panic attacks. For the study purposes, the Hopkins researchers looked at 40 children from the ages between 7 and 12 years. The children were not clinically determined to have anxiety disorder themselves but they all had at least one parent who was diagnosed with the problem.
What other evidence do we really need to answer the query "is anxiety inherited". Investigators randomly split the participants into two categories, with 20 of the children and their families taking part in an 8-week cognitive behavioural treatment program, while the other 20 were put on a waiting list and did not receive any treatment during the period of the research, but were offered treatment a year later. The CBT program, which consisted of one-hour-long weekly sessions, was working on an improvement of problem-solving skills, training regarding anxiety disorder, as well as assisted parents find out and change behaviours thought to contribute to anxiety in the kids.
The main investigator of the study, Dr. Golda Ginsburg, PH.D., a child psychiatrist at Hopkins Children's Center and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said that according to the figures gathered by the analysts, the children of parents with an anxiety disorder are up to seven times more prone to develop the disorder themselves, and around 65 per cent of kids who live with an anxious parent meet the criteria for anxiety disorder.
The results of the research revealed that within a period of 12 months, 30 per cent of the children that did not participate in the program, had developed an anxiety problem, compared to 0 percent of the kids who were engaged in the family based treatment program. A 40 per cent reduction in anxiety symptoms in the year after the therapy program were independently reported by parents along with researchers who analyzed the behaviour of the children and their parents. There was no drop of anxiety symptoms noticed among children on the waiting list.
The parental behaviors personalized with therapy program included overprotection, extreme criticism and excessive expression of worry and stress in front of the children. The program targeted childhood risk factors such as avoiding anxiety-provoking situations and anxious thoughts. According to a recent editorial in The New England Journal of Medicine, it is deterrence and not treatment, of childhood anxiety, which is of a primary importance, as anxiety disorder affect one in every 5 children in America, but often remain unrecognized. If not treated in time, the dilemma can result in depression, substance abuse and poor academic performance throughout childhood years and way into adulthood.
Results of the research will be posted in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. The research was financed by the US government's National Institute of Mental Health. Thus "is stress inherited", yes. Can we change the pattern of behavior yes!
Privacy Policy And Terms Of Use |