Acceptability of an enhanced transdiagnostic CBT intervention for adults with anxiety disorders who are parenting an anxious child

Objectives: Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in adults, and commonly aggregate within families. Although cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is regarded the most efficacious psychotherapy for anxiety disorders, remission rates are sub-optimal and broader systemic factors are typically not considered. The present study examined the acceptability of a modified transdiagnostic CBT for adult anxiety that also targeted anxiety-maintaining parenting behaviours and cognitions in anxious adults parenting an anxious child. Methods: Ten anxious adults (M age = 39.5, SD = 2.9) parenting an anxious child (M age = 8.5, SD = 1.4) were interviewed. Five parents who received the intervention and five parents interested in the intervention provided retrospective and prospective perceptions of intervention acceptability, along with perspectives on bidirectional parent–child factors relevant to anxiety symptom maintenance. Responses were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Six themes emerged showing the intervention was perceived as beneficial and effective for reducing parents’ own anxiety and managing bidirectional anxiety maintaining factors in the parent-child dyad. Conclusions: Parents’ rich perspectives elucidate the aspects of the intervention that are important to this underrepresented population. Further, targeting an adult’s anxiety in a systemic context was valued by anxious adults parenting an anxious child, providing a rationale for broader evaluation. Trial prospectively registered, ANZCTR1261900033410, 04 March 2019.