Preventing child anxiety disorders: Identifying therapeutic targets and improving access

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in children and young people worldwide.
They typically begin before 12 years of age and are more common in the children of parents with anxiety
disorders than in children of non-anxious parents. Moreover, anxiety disorders predict negative
educational, employment, physical and mental health outcomes, and are associated with substantial
costs for both individuals and societies. Consequently, their prevention is desirable.
We must act on two fronts to prevent the development of anxiety disorders. First, we need to understand
the mechanisms involved in children's development of anxiety, specifying modifiable risk factors that can
be targeted in anxiety prevention programmes. To address this, we will conduct experimental studies,
focusing on the roles of children's temperament and particular anxious parenting behaviours in children's
development of anxiety. These will show us how infants acquire anxiety from their parents. Second, it is
crucial to improve access to anxiety prevention programmes for those who need them. To this end, we
will investigate what parents with anxiety disorders would want and expect from a programme to prevent
the development of anxiety disorders in their young children.
This project has potential clinical and scientific impact. It will inform clinical prevention by specifying
targets for modification and by identifying barriers and facilitators to access to anxiety prevention. The
project will involve both scientific laboratory-based experiments with non-clinical populations and
qualitative interviews with parents who have used NHS mental health services to engage in
psychological therapy for an anxiety disorder.