THE PARENT EXPERIENCE OF SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN WITH ANXIETY: A WESTERN CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Anxiety is ever-present today, and despite the existing information and programs available, there is no sign of it decreasing. Children, especially, are experiencing more anxiety than they ever have before. Much of the research and anxiety-focused programs and interventions concentrate on children, and the research on how parents experience and manage their children’s anxiety is lacking. In this study, I asked: what are parents' experiences of influencing and managing their children’s anxiety? I conducted 6–10 interviews with parents of school-aged children to learn about their experiences. Guided by thematic analysis, the results of this study showed six themes: recognizing how children’s anxiety presents, finding ways to manage anxiety, navigating barriers, recognizing growth and resilience, the impacts of anxiety on the family, and altruism for other parents. These results show that more education and anxiety-focused programs and interventions are needed to better support parents and their children.