Parenting style of mothers with generalized anxiety disorder and behavioral problems in their children

The study aimed to examine the role of mother’s generalized anxiety disorder on their parenting style and its association with behavioral problems in their children.
Material and Methods: A cross-sectional, matched-control group design, using purposive sampling method was employed. Total sample of forty mothers with their children were recruited. Twenty mothers diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and the remaining 20 were healthy mothers, in study and healthy control groups respectively, all matched on age, gender and education. MINI International Psychiatric Interview (MINI 7.0), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) were administered on all mothers. Behavioral Assessment System for Children 3rd (BASC-3) was administered to assess presence of or possibility of developing behavioral problems in their children.
Results and Conclusion: The study findings highlighted that as compared to healthy mothers who implemented more of authoritative style of parenting, mothers with GAD, on the other hand, employed more of authoritarian and permissive styles of parenting. Further, authoritative parenting style was significantly and negatively correlated with scores on HAM-A in the study group. Significant numbers of the children of mothers with GAD found to have clinically significant scores and were at-risk for developing internalizing problems, inattention/ hyperactivity, problems related to personal adjustment and emotional problems as compared to children of healthy mothers in the present study.