Parent-child interactions and cognitive-behavioral therapy A focus on anxious children

The current review of observational studies on parent-child interactions, child anxiety and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), demonstrates the potential importance of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional features of parent-child interactions in increasing children’s vulnerability to developing and maintaining an AD. While there is some evidence that parent-child interactions, and particularly parental behavior, can change after CBT, surprisingly few treatment studies examine the effects of CBT on parent-child interactions using observational data. The changes that were found in parent-child interaction patterns were inconsistently related to children’s treatment outcome and to the type of parental involvement in CBT. It is of great importance that future observational studies thoroughly examine bidirectional changes in parent-child interaction patterns during and after CBT for child anxiety. It is important to understand the extent to which cognitions, behaviors, and emotions of parents and children during interactions as well as child anxiety change during and after CBT. This will allow clinicians to better identify, assess, and modify maladaptive parent-child interaction patterns, ultimately leading to enhanced CBT strategies for anxiety disorders in children.