Examining the Relationship Between Anxiety in Parents and Child Well-Being

This study investigated the correlation between parental anxiety and child well-being (evaluated through anxiety, self-esteem, emotional recognition, and locus of control) within the Indian context. It employed a correlational cross-sectional design, with sixteen Indian families (N = 48). Participants completed the procedure through an online meeting with the researcher. Parents filled four self-report questionnaires: the GAD-7, Parent Stress Scale, Parental Overprotection Measure, and the SCAS-Parent version. Children filled the SCAS-Child, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, and an emotion recognition task. The Spearman’s rank-order method was used to analyze ten primary correlations. Principal findings revealed that parental anxiety correlated positively with child anxiety and self-esteem; parental perception of child anxiety also correlated positively with child anxiety. There was no significant correlation between child anxiety and self-esteem, and a weak correlation between child anxiety and emotion recognition. Further, an external locus of control in children was associated with greater child anxiety, higher self-esteem, and greater parental overprotection. These findings highlight the need for further research on parent and child well-being in the Indian context, while focusing on developing stronger support systems to help families cope with mental health challenges.