Preventing Anxiety in Children: A Familial Approach

I recently came across an article detailing a study that looked at anxiety prevention which I enjoyed (I work with children and teens that deal with anxiety as well as their families) and thus, wanted to pass on this article of interest. A pilot study conducted at Johns Hopkins Children's Center recently looked at anxiety in children who have parents that are anxious. The researchers employed a family approach using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and they found that as few as eight weekly sessions of family CBT therapy were helpful in reducing anxiety. This study used a very small sample size, but the results are significant as far as prevention efforts go. Golda Ginsburg, a child psychologist at Johns Hopkins and senior researcher on this team, reports that children who have parents with an anxiety disorder are seven times more likely to develop anxiety. As a result, in conjunction with what we know about children and anxiety (one in five children in the US develop anxiety disorders), this is helpful information for parents, as well as health care professionals. For more information on this study and to read this article, click HERE.