Psychopathology in parents of children with school phobia

OBJECTIVE: In children, what is referred to as school phobia is usually avoidant behavior secondary to separation anxiety. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychopathology in parents of children with school phobia. METHOD: The study compared 2 groups of parents: 1) parents of children with school phobia (n = 50); 2) parents of children free of any psychiatric diagnosis (n = 50). Parents were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) to determine rates of overall psychopathology by a second clinician blind to the diagnostic status of their children, and they were also administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) to determine the presence of anxiety and mood disorders. Children with school phobia (n = 25), aged 6-12 years, and an age-and gender-matched control group (n= 25) were assessed based on the criteria of the DSM-IV. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 4-18. RESULTS: All of the children with school phobia met the criteria for an anxiety disorder. Parental psychopathology was higher in parents of children with school phobia than in parents of normal children. BDI, BAI, and fear and anxiety subscale scores of the LSAS were significantly higher in the parents of school phobic children than in the control group parents. CONCLUSION: The high rates of psychopathology in parents of children with school phobia suggested that treatment of children diagnosed as anxiety disorder should include the treatment of parents as well.