Parents' experiences of their child receiving an anxiety diagnosis, v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Parents' experiences of their child receiving an anxiety disorder diagnosis
IRAS ID
240512
Contact name
Cathy Creswell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Reading
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 24 days
Research summary
Parents’ experiences of their child receiving an anxiety disorder diagnosis
There is a lack of consensus surrounding the use of psychiatric diagnoses in clinical practice. A diagnosis can give a patient an explanation for their symptoms and pave the way to appropriate support from mental health services. However, there are also concerns that using a ‘label’ can have negative consequences for an individual.
Understanding individuals' and families’ experiences of receiving a diagnosis can inform clinical guidance on using diagnoses; and in the context of child diagnoses it is particularly pertinent to understand parents’ experiences. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders experienced by children, but currently we know very little about parents’ experiences of their child receiving an anxiety disorder diagnosis.
This is a qualitative study designed to provide rich and detailed insight into parents’ views and experiences related to their child’s anxiety diagnosis. We aim to identify i) elements of the diagnostic process that are helpful/unhelpful for families, and ii) optimal ways to communicate child anxiety diagnoses with families.
The study will recruit parents/carers of children (aged 7-12 years) who have recently received a primary anxiety disorder diagnosis. Participants will be recruited through the University of Reading Anxiety and Depression in Young People (AnDY) Research Clinic. We anticipate we will recruit 12-20 participants, and to help ensure we capture varying views and experiences in the sample, we will use a purposive sampling approach.
Parents will take part in a topic-guided interview which will last approximately 45 minutes. Interviews will be audio-recorded and participants will be able to opt to complete the interview face-to-face at The University of Reading, or over the telephone. Interviews will address parents’ expectations and beliefs related to their child’s diagnosis, unhelpful/unhelpful elements of the diagnostic process, and improvements to communicating diagnoses with families.REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/SC/0214
Date of REC Opinion
17 May 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion