(PS5-A21) Parent-child Agreement of Child Anxiety in Latinx Families: The Role of Culture, Socialization Goals, and Relationship Quality

Latinx youth display higher rates of anxiety and are less likely to receive needed services for this concern relative to White non-Latinx youth. These high rates are alarming due to the wide range of adverse implications and persistent course associated with childhood anxiety, including interference in social, educational, and familial realms, as well as the risk for the development of additional mental health problems (e.g., depression, substance use disorders). It is thus important to elucidate the nature of barriers to service utilization for anxiety in Latinx youth. It is possible one such barrier to care is parent identification of child anxiety problems. Because caregivers serve in part as gatekeepers for children’s access to care, it is important to understand parental recognition of child anxiety in Latinx families as an important step on the pathway to care. Likewise, it is critical to examine parent-child agreement (PCA) by multi-informant assessment (e.g., parent and child completing an anxiety measure regarding the child’s anxiety) as a means to understand parent recognition of child anxiety. However, there is a gap in understanding PCA of childhood anxiety in Latinx families.

The current study sought to fill this gap by examining correlations and Fisher’s r to z of parent- and child-reports on child total anxiety with Latinx families. These tests were also conducted at the symptom-level to explore whether PCA varies as a function of symptom observability. Hierarchical regressions were utilized to test possible moderators of PCA: parent acculturation and enculturation, parent socialization goals of socio-emotional development and respect, and the quality of the parent-child relationship. Participants included a U.S. community sample of 124 Latinx youth ages 8 to 11 and their parents (86.55% mothers). Child anxiety was assessed using the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC; March et al., 1997), which was administered to parents and children. The MASC includes a total anxiety score that is comprised of four symptoms subscales. Parents completed separate measures to assess factors examined as moderators of PCA. On average, children rated their total anxiety (MASC Total) approximately 5 points higher than their parent (M= 4.86, SD= 19.61). Results showed PCA was low across total anxiety (r(122) = .21, p =. 02) and symptom scales (strength order of strongest to weakest: Physical Symptoms [r(122) = .25, p =. 01], Harm Avoidance [r(122) = .22, p = . 01], Social Anxiety [r(122) = .22, p = . 02], and Separation/Panic [r(122) = .12, p = .20]). Correlations supported the notion that PCA improves based on observability for some symptoms, yet, Fisher’s z showed these differences were not significant. Exploratory analyses suggested PCA might improve when parents rate higher scores of anxiety than the child and when youth report higher anxiety symptoms (compared to children with lower anxiety symptoms). However, these findings were not significant and were not consistent across symptoms. Implications and future directions to research and clinical practice will be discussed.