Writing in the Journal of Child and Family Studies, the Turkish researchers, led by Gonca Özyurt, of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic, in Nevsehir State Hospital, say parents who use harsh punishment, shouting and anger were likely to produce fear reactions in children.

The children who participated in the study were on a waiting list at the Child and Adolescent Department outpatient unit at the School of Medicine in Dokuz Eylul University and were deemed to have an anxiety disorder in clinical range.

“We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Triple P on childhood anxiety disorders and to assess its effects on behavioral and emotional problems, general anxiety level, severity of the disorder and general psychosocial functioning,’’ the authors write.

The authors conclude that “children’s anxiety level and severity of the disorder significantly decreased and the child’s functionality significantly improved with applying Triple P to children’s parents’’.

Triple P founder Professor Matt Sanders welcomed the results.

“Traditionally treatments for anxiety and depressive disorders have focused on the individual child and it’s only been in recent years that research has focused on what role parents can have,’’ Prof Sanders said.

Other studies into Triple P have found a range of benefits, including less parental stress and depression, improved child behavior and reductions in rates of child maltreatment injuries.

The Turkish researchers are the first to show a link between Triple P and childhood anxiety levels. 

Read more about this Turkish research on the University of Queensland’s Parenting and Family Support Centre Triple P blog