A Neglectful Parenting Style Moderates the Effect of the Verbal Threat Information Pathway on Children's Heart Rate Responses to Novel Animals

Abstract Parenting styles are associated with anxiety in children. Part of this association can be explained by how parenting interacts with known pathways to anxiety. Although parenting interacts with the verbal threat information pathway to create anxiogenic cognitions in children, it is not known whether parenting styles mediate the physiological component of the anxiety emotion. An experiment is reported in which 6–10-year-old children ( N = 54) completed parenting styles, and anxiety beliefs questionnaires. They were then given threat, positive or no verbal information about three novel animals before being asked to place their hands in boxes they believed these animals inhabited. Their average heart rate during the approach was recorded. The results suggest that a neglectful maternal parenting style mediates the effect that verbal threat information has on physiological responses. However, a punitive maternal parenting style, maternal warmth, overprotection, and accurate monitoring were not found to have a significant effect. Paternal parenting styles were not found to have any significant effect. This experiment adds to the existing evidence demonstrating that parenting practices can mediate components of acquired anxiety emotions.