ATLANTA — A significant burden is placed on the family members of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, regardless of the age of the child, Catherine Mancini, M.D., said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.
The research shows that the burden affects various areas of family functioning, including the physical and mental health of family members and family closeness, wrote Dr. Mancini and her associates at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.
The study included 24 outpatient children (8–17 years old) with an anxiety disorder and 24 family members. The family members—4 fathers and 20 mothers—each completed self-rated questionnaires on the impact of the child's illness on various areas of family functioning.
Among the family members participating in the study, 50% reported some degree of family burden, 50% reported an effect on family health, and 25% reported an impact on family closeness.
A total of 17 of the 24 family members reported that their ill child had become “distressed/anxious/angry when we have not provided assistance.” Family members also reported disruption of routine activities due to the child's illness and care, or “irrational demands.”
Ten of the 24 parents reported that they or another family member had experienced physical change because of the child's illness, including weight loss, back pain, headaches, or sleeping problems.
Dr. Mancini and her associates did not find any significant differences on family burden scales between children aged 9–12 and adolescents aged 13–17.
Although the type of primary diagnosis did not make a significant difference in the family's burden, the researchers did report that primary obsessive-compulsive disorder rated significantly higher on the overall family burden scale than other primary conditions.
Anxiety disorders in male youths also may be associated with higher rates of overall burden and impact on family closeness.