The Associations of Parents’ and Children’s Anxiety Sensitivity with Child Anxiety and Somatic-Hypochondriac Symptoms

Background: The clinical relevance of Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) is well established, as well as the association between parents’ and children’s AS. However, there is little data data on the indirect relation between parents’ AS and children’s anxiety and somatic-hypochondriac symptoms through children’s AS, and the few findings available are inconsistent. Objective: The study examined, in a community sample, whether children’s AS was associated to their anxiety and somatic-hypochondriac symptoms, and tested whether children’s AS mediated the link between parents’ AS and children’s anxiety and somatic-hypochondriac symptoms. Methods: A total of 392 children and one of their parents completed a battery of questionnaires. Results: Children’s AS mediated the links between parents’ AS and children’s anxiety and somatic-hypochondriac symptoms. These pathways were moderated by the child’s age, in that they were significant for older children (ages 11–17 years old), but not for younger ones (ages 8–10 years old). Conclusions: The findings advance understanding of how parental AS might be implicated in children’s AS and clinical symptoms.