An Examination of the Relationship Between Parent Language and Child Anxiety |
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Authors: | Ryan P Hosey MA Janet Woodruff-Borden PhD |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences , University of Louisville , Louisville , Kentucky , USA ryan.hosey11@gmail.com;3. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences , University of Louisville , Louisville , Kentucky , USA |
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Abstract: | Research suggests that parents of anxious children behave differently when interacting with their children than do parents of nonanxious children. However, the relationship between parent language use in this context and child anxiety remains unclear. The present study investigates how parent language use relates to child anxiety during parent–child interactions using a community sample recruited to participate in a study of familial anxiety. Results indicate that parent language use varies in relation to child anxiety. Further, this idiosyncratic pattern of parent linguistic activity uniquely predicts child anxiety diagnostic status. Implications of this study and future directions for research are discussed. |
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Keywords: | child anxiety language parent–child interactions parenting |
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