New studies from the University of Georgia show that both moms and dads can help ease or worsen their children’s social anxiety by how they treat them.
UGA researchers discovered both mothers and fathers can influence their child's social confidence in different ways. Parents could help reduce social anxiety by expressing affection and warmth or make it worse by shaming or overly controlling their children.
Social anxiety tends to peak around adolescence, but even mild forms of social anxiety can negatively impact children’s wellbeing and development. Warmth and affection from both parents were connected to fewer social anxiety symptoms. While rejections and coldness were linked to higher levels of social anxiety.
“We’re finding these effects across cultures and age groups,” said Cullin Howard, lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “Giving more acceptance can be a way for parents to meaningfully help and support their children.”
Controlling mothers have a larger effect than overly controlling fathers. Parents should set an age-appropriate limit that allows children space to make their own choices. But being too easy-going and providing little guidance can cause children to take unnecessary risks or be unsure how to manage problems.
