Research shows ‘it takes a village’ to address childhood anxiety and depression

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, levels of clinically elevated depression and anxiety symptoms in children have skyrocketed worldwide and parents are feeling increasingly helpless. 

New research from Murdoch University has revealed therapies and interventions incorporating a child’s ‘village’, particularly parents and direct caregivers, help to reduce the internalisation of their symptoms.  

Dr Kim Lee Kho led the study, which tested the efficacy of Behaviour Exchange and Systems Therapy - Foundations (BEST-F) in the treatment plans of children aged 3-11.  

This involved a family-based approach where the parent-child relationship was a primary focus.  

BEST-F was developed in Melbourne and Perth by a team of researchers including Dr Kho’s primary supervisor Professor Andrew Lewis.  

Dr Kho said results of her study showed this approach had a large influence on reducing how often a child internalised symptoms of depression and anxiety.  

Supervisor and co-author Dr Renita Almeida said the psychological distress experienced by both children and caregivers globally supported the need for the research. 

“We know that children are embedded within many systems, and the family system is of prime importance,” Dr Almeida said. 

“There is substantial evidence that caregiving and family environmental factors have an impact on the transmission of depression and anxiety – what this also means is that the family base is full of potential to enable change, and that families can have a significant role in supporting a child’s affect regulation.”  

A critical element of the study was the safety and trust that parental participants felt within the therapy setting – fostered by empathy, care, and understanding for their unique situations.  

One parent who was quoted in the study said BEST-F therapy transformed the way they communicated with their family and the world around them, which also impacted the way their child communicated. 

“I felt heard and seen by you [therapist] when we talked about what I’ve experienced in the past. I felt safe and that changed everything for me, and my family could tell the difference too.”   

In turn, the participant’s child mirrored that sense of safety and felt encouraged to open up about their own feelings. 

“I feel it’s safe talking about it here... now I can tell mum when I am upset if something happens at school or with dad.”  

Dr Almeida said the key finding was that as improvements occurred across various parts of the family system, the changes continued to unfold into further improvements, as observed at follow-ups. 

“Evaluation studies of Behaviour Exchange and Systems Therapy demonstrate that when you engage the whole family system in the therapeutic intervention, improvements are seen not only in the child’s mental health, but also in the parent’s mental health and family functioning,” she said. 

Dr Kho said these results could influence the future of the treatment of childhood depression and anxiety. 

“We are hoping that the results of this study motivate a larger clinical trial in the near future with the vision of potentially being offered as an intervention option in the community,” she said.