Maternal Expressed Emotion and Parental Fear of Negative Evaluation in Children With Social Anxiety Disorder

Background: The study aims to examine expressed emotion (EE) as a measure of family climate and fear of negative child evaluation as a potential mediator between child and parental social anxiety. Method: Children with social anxiety disorder (SAD; n = 64) and without SAD (healthy control, HC; n = 52) as well as their parents reported on their own social anxiety and parental anxiety of fear of negative child evaluation. Mothers additionally participated in the Five Minute Speech Sample to assess EE. Results: Mothers of children with SAD were more frequently rated as showing high expressed emotion (HEE) than mothers of HC children. EE and maternal anxiety were related concerning both maternal social anxiety and fear of negative child evaluation. The relation between child and maternal social anxiety was partially mediated by maternal fear of negative child evaluation. Conclusion: A relation between child SAD and maternal elevated EE was observed. An elevated fear of negative child evaluation poses a potential mechanism of transmission between maternal, but not paternal, and child social anxiety.