Grant: Knowledge Synthesis Grant

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems among children and adolescents. These problems often cause considerable distress, have a negative impact on the child's development, and interfere in the functioning of the child and the family. Further, the presence of an anxiety disorder is associated with increased risk of later mental health problems such as depressive and substance use disorders. Fortunately, various effective treatments are available for children's anxiety disorders. Parents have a crucial role in identifying when a child or adolescent requires help. Our previous survey research with parents indicates that they wish to take a strong role in making treatment decisions for children in need of assistance. Parents want to have information about the evidence supporting the use of established treatments, the benefits and risks of each treatment, and the characteristics of the treatment from the perspective of the child and the parent. When parents have limited or inaccurate information they are often reluctant to consider appropriate treatment. Our review of existing resources for parents suggests that there is limited information available in a form to help parents participate in informed decision making. This study will assemble information from existing research on children's anxiety problems and present it in forms that will answer the questions that are important to parents. The research team will partner with consumer and professional groups in reaching out to parents to provide information about effective treatments. The availability of this information will help parents to identify problems that require assistance and to make informed choices about the treatments they would prefer for their child.