The Role of Paternal Anxiety in Emotional Regulation and Child Anxiety
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Authors
Gusic, Alma
Issue Date
2026-04
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Paternal Anxiety , Emotional Regulation , Child Anxiety , Parent–Child Relationship , Anxiety Transmission , Family Mental Health
Alternative Title
Abstract
Most research on parental anxiety has focused on mothers, and fathers have been studied much less. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health concerns in children and adolescents, affecting approximately 31.9% of adolescents and nearly 10% of children in the United States. Recent research shows that fathers also experience anxiety, which may play a role in family functioning and children’s emotional well-being. This study examined the relationship between paternal anxiety, fathers’ ability to regulate emotions, and fathers’ reports of anxiety symptoms in their children. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used. The sample included 50 fathers of children between the ages of 6 and 18. Fathers completed an online survey that included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale–Parent Report (SCAS-P). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted, controlling for fathers’ age. Results showed that higher paternal anxiety was strongly related to greater emotion regulation difficulties in fathers and higher levels of father-reported child anxiety. Paternal anxiety accounted for over half of the variance in both outcomes (54% and 55%), while paternal age was not a significant factor. These findings suggest that fathers’ anxiety is important in how emotions are handled in families and how children experience anxiety. The results also show the importance of including fathers in research and clinical work related to child anxiety and family mental health.