Advisory Committee Chair
Irena Stepanikova
Advisory Committee Members
Elizabeth Baker
Jessica Mirman
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2019
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts (MA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Extensive literature addresses the associations between parental education and children’s mental health outcomes; however, the role of parental education and family resilience in child anxiety is unclear. The purpose of this study is to obtain a greater understanding of the role of parental education in child anxiety. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the role and potential varying effects of family resilience. Building upon Bowen’s Family Systems Theory and Walsh’s Systems Theory of Family Resilience, I hypothesize that parental education will be negatively associated with child anxiety and that family resilience will be negatively associated with child anxiety. I also hypothesize that the relationship between parental education and child anxiety will vary by the presence of family resilience. Using data from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, hypotheses testing was conducted using nested logistic regression. Results revealed no significant effects of parental education. However, the results indicate that as family resilience increases, the odds of having child anxiety decreases. Race/ethnicity, child age and household size were also independently related to child anxiety. Additional research is needed to assess the cultivation of family resilience, variations in the development and use, and the extent of its role in child mental health outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Morgan, Bria Kathryn, "The Benefit of Resilience: Examining the Roles of Family Resilience and Parental Education in Child Anxiety" (2019). All ETDs from UAB. 2514.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/2514