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Suggestions to help parents reduce child’s anxiety

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By: Lydia L. Kim, Digital Content Editor

The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry released a study in March 2019 that showcases steps parents can take, in addition to standard therapy, to help lower or prevent anxiety in their children.

The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health and the National Center for the Advancement of Translational Science, involved 123 children (age between 7 and 14 years) who had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The children were all undergoing standard cognitive behavioral therapy, and their parents were enrolled in a program called the Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE).

The SPACE program was used to help the parents identify potential stressors or behaviors that they might be able to respond to in order to reduce their child’s anxiety.

The results of the study revealed that combining both treatments saw a reduction in the children’s anxiety and anxiety-related emotions. Additionally, the SPACE program also led to a reduction in the parents’ stress.

Nurses and other healthcare providers may find this study useful when speaking with parents of pediatric patients; suggesting techniques or resources for parents to use when their child is discharged from the hospital may help optimize the level of care patients receive in the home.

Please read more about the study here, and explore other resources provided by American Nurse Today below.

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Sources:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/supportive-parenting-can-reduce-childs-anxiety

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of the American Nurses Association, the Editorial Advisory Board members, or the Publisher, Editors and staff of American Nurse Journal. This has not been peer reviewed.

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