Anxiety Disorders and Family Dynamics

Anxiety disorders have their roots in a person’s biochemistry, psychological profile, and social environment among other things. This article, however, will focus on the influence of family dynamics on anxiety and show how anxiety is compounded and complicated by both genetic and psychological factors.

Of these, let’s start by talking about genetics first. Half the people who suffer from panic disorders tend to have a close relative who suffers from the same condition. Meanwhile, about 40 percent of patients with Generalized Anxiety (GAD) have a close relative with the same suffering. Also, about half the GAD patients have family members who suffer from panic disorders while 30 percent of them have relatives with simple phobias.

Anxiety Disorders and Family Dynamics

According to some studies, the chances of inheriting a major phobia are as high as between 25 percent to 37 percent. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is also thought to stem from family history. In terms of genetics and anxiety, what is of key interest is the possibility that defective genes that regulate specific neurotransmitter may actually alter people’s behavior such that they become more afraid as compared to others when responding to the same threat.

Alternatively, the influence of the family, in terms of psychology, is also a key variable in analyzing the causes of a person’s anxiety imbalance. Certain psychodynamic studies have suggested that panic disorders may develop in people who are unable to resolve the childhood conflict of dependence versus independence. For instance, one such study shows that young adults who had suffered from childhood anxiety tend to live with their parents as opposed to moving out in their early to mid-twenties. A trend has also been seen among people with panic disorders as they have been found to usually perceive their parents showing little actual affection yet finding them highly controlling and overly protective.

Anxiety Disorders and Family Dynamics

Meanwhile, other studies have also shown that a strong correlation exists between the fears of a parent and the fears of the offspring. Some scholars have gone as far as to argue that fears and phobias are ‘learnt’ from the parent through the process of observation in the greater process of childhood socialization. The coexistence of OCD and depression has also been linked to lower levels of parental care with two-thirds of OCD patients suffering from depression alleging inadequate parental care and over-protectiveness on the part of their parent(s).

Thus, it is safe to conclude that irregardless of the type of anxiety disorder, the affect that family dynamics play will serve as a vital ingredient to studying the root causes of anxiety. It should be remembered though that there are numerous other causes other than family dynamics which also need to be analyzed simultaneously to paint an accurate picture.