The Role of Maternal Anxiety in Treatment Response for Youth with ASD and Co-occurring Anxiety

Lindsey DeVries; Katherine Pickard; Richard Boles; Audrey Blakeley-Smith; Amie Duncan; Amy Keefer; Laura Klinger; Allison Meyer; Judy Reaven

doi:10.1007/s10578-022-01381-0

The Role of Maternal Anxiety in Treatment Response for Youth with ASD and Co-occurring Anxiety

Lindsey DeVries, Katherine Pickard, Richard Boles, Audrey Blakeley-Smith, Amie Duncan, Amy Keefer, Laura Klinger, Allison Meyer, Judy Reaven

Kennedy Krieger Institute

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Anxiety disorders occur at higher rates in youth with ASD than in neurotypical youth. Although the efficacy of CBT for anxiety in children with ASD is widely supported, factors that influence treatment outcomes are not well understood. This study examined the role of maternal anxiety in treatment outcomes for youth with ASD. Youth with ASD and anxiety (ages 8 to 14), along with their mothers (n = 87), participated in a group CBT intervention. Results indicated that maternal anxiety did not improve over the course of treatment. However, findings suggest that high levels of maternal anxiety at pre-treatment predicted higher levels of youth anxiety post-treatment. Importantly, the relationship between parent anxiety and youth outcomes was moderated by child age. The findings of the present study may provide initial insight into the role that maternal anxiety plays in treatment outcomes for children with ASD and co-occurring anxiety, particularly when considering child age.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1789-1798
Number of pages	10
Journal	Child Psychiatry and Human Development
Volume	54
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-022-01381-0
State	Published - Dec 2023

Keywords

Anxiety
Autism
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Maternal anxiety

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychiatry and Mental health
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

Access to Document

10.1007/s10578-022-01381-0

Cite this

@article{f90f3e1c0694433ea127d104f3d93089,

title = "The Role of Maternal Anxiety in Treatment Response for Youth with ASD and Co-occurring Anxiety",

abstract = "Anxiety disorders occur at higher rates in youth with ASD than in neurotypical youth. Although the efficacy of CBT for anxiety in children with ASD is widely supported, factors that influence treatment outcomes are not well understood. This study examined the role of maternal anxiety in treatment outcomes for youth with ASD. Youth with ASD and anxiety (ages 8 to 14), along with their mothers (n = 87), participated in a group CBT intervention. Results indicated that maternal anxiety did not improve over the course of treatment. However, findings suggest that high levels of maternal anxiety at pre-treatment predicted higher levels of youth anxiety post-treatment. Importantly, the relationship between parent anxiety and youth outcomes was moderated by child age. The findings of the present study may provide initial insight into the role that maternal anxiety plays in treatment outcomes for children with ASD and co-occurring anxiety, particularly when considering child age.",

keywords = "Anxiety, Autism, Cognitive behavioral therapy, Maternal anxiety",

author = "Lindsey DeVries and Katherine Pickard and Richard Boles and Audrey Blakeley-Smith and Amie Duncan and Amy Keefer and Laura Klinger and Allison Meyer and Judy Reaven",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.",

year = "2023",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1007/s10578-022-01381-0",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "54",

pages = "1789--1798",

journal = "Child Psychiatry and Human Development",

issn = "0009-398X",

publisher = "Kluwer Academic/Human Sciences Press Inc.",

number = "6",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Role of Maternal Anxiety in Treatment Response for Youth with ASD and Co-occurring Anxiety

AU - DeVries, Lindsey

AU - Pickard, Katherine

AU - Boles, Richard

AU - Blakeley-Smith, Audrey

AU - Duncan, Amie

AU - Keefer, Amy

AU - Klinger, Laura

AU - Meyer, Allison

AU - Reaven, Judy

PY - 2023/12

Y1 - 2023/12

N2 - Anxiety disorders occur at higher rates in youth with ASD than in neurotypical youth. Although the efficacy of CBT for anxiety in children with ASD is widely supported, factors that influence treatment outcomes are not well understood. This study examined the role of maternal anxiety in treatment outcomes for youth with ASD. Youth with ASD and anxiety (ages 8 to 14), along with their mothers (n = 87), participated in a group CBT intervention. Results indicated that maternal anxiety did not improve over the course of treatment. However, findings suggest that high levels of maternal anxiety at pre-treatment predicted higher levels of youth anxiety post-treatment. Importantly, the relationship between parent anxiety and youth outcomes was moderated by child age. The findings of the present study may provide initial insight into the role that maternal anxiety plays in treatment outcomes for children with ASD and co-occurring anxiety, particularly when considering child age.

AB - Anxiety disorders occur at higher rates in youth with ASD than in neurotypical youth. Although the efficacy of CBT for anxiety in children with ASD is widely supported, factors that influence treatment outcomes are not well understood. This study examined the role of maternal anxiety in treatment outcomes for youth with ASD. Youth with ASD and anxiety (ages 8 to 14), along with their mothers (n = 87), participated in a group CBT intervention. Results indicated that maternal anxiety did not improve over the course of treatment. However, findings suggest that high levels of maternal anxiety at pre-treatment predicted higher levels of youth anxiety post-treatment. Importantly, the relationship between parent anxiety and youth outcomes was moderated by child age. The findings of the present study may provide initial insight into the role that maternal anxiety plays in treatment outcomes for children with ASD and co-occurring anxiety, particularly when considering child age.

KW - Anxiety

KW - Autism

KW - Cognitive behavioral therapy

KW - Maternal anxiety

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131525770&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85131525770&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10578-022-01381-0

DO - 10.1007/s10578-022-01381-0

M3 - Article

C2 - 35678890

AN - SCOPUS:85131525770

SN - 0009-398X

VL - 54

SP - 1789

EP - 1798

JO - Child Psychiatry and Human Development

JF - Child Psychiatry and Human Development

IS - 6

ER -

The Role of Maternal Anxiety in Treatment Response for Youth with ASD and Co-occurring Anxiety

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this