Secondary Youth-Level Mechanisms of Change in Parent Training for Anxious Youth
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| Title: | Secondary Youth-Level Mechanisms of Change in Parent Training for Anxious Youth |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jacey L. Anderberg, Kelly Barry, Blake M. Upshaw, Katie H. Mangen, Samuel D. Spencer (ORCID |
| Source: | Child & Youth Care Forum. 2026 55(1):1-19. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | P50HD103555 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Adult Education |
| Descriptors: | Youth, Anxiety, Therapy, Parent Child Relationship, Child Rearing, Outcomes of Treatment, Parent Education, Intervention |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10566-025-09880-6 |
| ISSN: | 1053-1890 1573-3319 |
| Abstract: | Background: Parent-focused treatments are a promising approach for addressing youth anxiety outside of traditional therapist-delivered modalities. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) has preliminarily demonstrated efficacy for reducing family accommodation (FA), a key treatment outcome for youth anxiety. Objective: Since the mechanisms of SPACE remain relatively understudied, we examined youth-reported distress tolerance (DT), anxiety sensitivity (AS), and negative automatic thoughts as candidate mechanisms of SPACE using data from a previously conducted clinical trial. Methods: In a sample of N = 68 youth (M[subscript age] = 10.2; 52% male; 62% White), we examined: (a) associations among candidate mechanisms and FA at baseline, (b) pre- to post-intervention change in candidate mechanisms, and (c) the association between pre- to post-intervention changes in candidate mechanisms and FA at post-intervention. Results: Youth-reported DT, AS, and negative automatic thoughts were correlated with one another, but were not associated with parent-reported FA at baseline. These findings were inconsistent with youth-reported FA, which evidenced significant relations with DT and AS at baseline. Scores of candidate mechanisms slightly improved from pre- to post-intervention, with AS evidencing the most prominent reduction, although effect sizes were small. Finally, only salutary pre- to post-intervention changes in DT and social-based negative automatic thoughts were associated with parent-reported FA at post-intervention, suggesting the potential relevance of these variables as putative mechanisms in SPACE. Conclusions: While our results do not permit definitive conclusions concerning the underlying youth-level mechanisms of SPACE, our findings may inform further refinement of parent-led interventions for anxious youth. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1505869 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Background: Parent-focused treatments are a promising approach for addressing youth anxiety outside of traditional therapist-delivered modalities. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) has preliminarily demonstrated efficacy for reducing family accommodation (FA), a key treatment outcome for youth anxiety. Objective: Since the mechanisms of SPACE remain relatively understudied, we examined youth-reported distress tolerance (DT), anxiety sensitivity (AS), and negative automatic thoughts as candidate mechanisms of SPACE using data from a previously conducted clinical trial. Methods: In a sample of N = 68 youth (M[subscript age] = 10.2; 52% male; 62% White), we examined: (a) associations among candidate mechanisms and FA at baseline, (b) pre- to post-intervention change in candidate mechanisms, and (c) the association between pre- to post-intervention changes in candidate mechanisms and FA at post-intervention. Results: Youth-reported DT, AS, and negative automatic thoughts were correlated with one another, but were not associated with parent-reported FA at baseline. These findings were inconsistent with youth-reported FA, which evidenced significant relations with DT and AS at baseline. Scores of candidate mechanisms slightly improved from pre- to post-intervention, with AS evidencing the most prominent reduction, although effect sizes were small. Finally, only salutary pre- to post-intervention changes in DT and social-based negative automatic thoughts were associated with parent-reported FA at post-intervention, suggesting the potential relevance of these variables as putative mechanisms in SPACE. Conclusions: While our results do not permit definitive conclusions concerning the underlying youth-level mechanisms of SPACE, our findings may inform further refinement of parent-led interventions for anxious youth. |
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| ISSN: | 1053-1890 1573-3319 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10566-025-09880-6 |
