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. 2023 Apr 16;11(8):1142.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare11081142.

Saudi Arabian Perceptions of Childhood Anxiety, Parental Communication, and Parenting Style

Lowai G Abed  1 , Mohaned G Abed  2 , Todd K Shackelford  3
Affiliations

Saudi Arabian Perceptions of Childhood Anxiety, Parental Communication, and Parenting Style

Lowai G Abed et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Parenting communication and parenting style, including expressions of fear, worry, and threat, may contribute to children's anxiety and apprehension. This study examined the degree to which perceptions of parental communication (both verbal and nonverbal) and parenting style are linked with childhood anxiety. This is among the first studies to investigate these relationships in a Saudi Arabian context. We employed a sample of 121 Saudi adults who completed questionnaires measuring perceptions of 2 parenting styles (authoritative and authoritarian), parental anxiety, and childhood anxiety. Parental communication elements such as shouting, criticism, facial expression, and body expressions were included among assessments of perceived parental anxiety, authoritative style, and authoritarian style. The results indicated that perceptions of childhood anxiety were positively associated with parental anxiety but not consistently associated with other assessed variables. This research addressed perceptions of parental communication and parenting style in the development of childhood anxiety, extending upon previous research on Western samples to a Middle Eastern sample residing in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; authoritarian behavior; authoritative behavior; childhood anxiety; communication; learning; modeling; parenting style.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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