‘I don’t have to be perfect; I can just do my best and I have noticed that it’s enough’: Parents’ experiences of a parenting intervention designed to prevent intergenerational transmission of anxiety

Aim: To explore how parents perceived an adapted parenting intervention, Parenting with Anxiety: Helping Anxious Parents Raise Confident Children, delivered by a Trainee Educational Psychologist. The research aimed to address a gap in the current literature on reducing the intergenerational transmission of anxiety through parenting interventions. It sought to provide Educational Psychologists with evidence regarding parent perceptions of the intervention and its potential to reduce child anxiety. Design: Parents attended five sessions of a parenting intervention designed for individuals who identify as anxious. Using a cognitive behavioural approach, the intervention aimed to reduce anxiogenic parenting behaviours and support parents to challenge anxious thoughts and strengthen protective factors. In the sixth session, parents participated in a focus group to explore their perceptions of the intervention and suggest improvements. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: Generated themes suggested parents experienced a decrease in anxiogenic parenting behaviours, and an increase in ‘good and brave’ child behaviours, following the intervention. Parents valued the opportunity to connect with others, reflect on their parenting, and gain practical strategies. Suggested improvements included tailoring the content to individual needs and incorporating coaching to support implementation. Limitations: The lack of a quantitative strand is considered in relation to its impact on statistical inference and the breadth of findings. While this paper does not explore the role of ethnicity or gender in shaping outcomes, it highlights these as important areas for future research. Conclusions: Findings suggested that the parents perceived the parenting intervention as beneficial for their child’s wellbeing. Parents reported an increased understanding of the intergenerational transmission of anxiety, and a decrease in anxiogenic parenting. Implications for Educational Psychologists are discussed considering these novel findings.