Monash University, Faculty of Education
When a Child Parents their Parent: Emotional Consequences, and Generalised Anxiety Disorder
This research study is being conducted by Ms Dorothy Jacka as part of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology, at the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton campus, under the supervision of Dr. Philip Greenway, Senior Lecturer.
The research literature has determined that Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most common, yet least studied of the anxiety disorders, affecting at least 5% of the population at some time in their lives at a clinical level, and many more at a sub-clinical level. Although GAD is a widely prevalent disorder, associated with substantial functional impairment and reduced life satisfaction, it remains under-studied, misunderstood, and insufficiently treated and/or treatment resistant. GAD is often under-diagnosed, especially in primary health care settings, and without treatment can lead to/or exacerbate other anxiety disorders or depression, especially social phobia and dysthymia. In spite of high comorbidity rates between GAD and other anxiety disorders or depression, GAD can be reliably distinguished from other anxiety disorders. GAD has been confirmed as significantly disabling, even as a single disorder. The most distinguishing features of GAD are ongoing excessive worry that is difficult to control, often accompanied by muscle tension.
The pathway(s) that lead to GAD is a particularly neglected area of research. A better awareness of the potential pathways to developing GAD will have important implications for the prevention and treatment of GAD. The current research will investigate two related areas that may have considerable influence on whether an individual develops GAD or not, but have been little researched in relation to GAD symptoms. These areas are: aspects of insecure adult attachment (e.g., anxious/ambivalent attachment stemming from role/reversal in childhood), and emotion regulation. The type of covert role-reversal to be examined will be the kind where a child has grown up in a situation where they were expected (albeit inadvertently) to meet the emotional needs of their parent/caregiver at the expense of their own needs for care and emotional support being met. An individual in this situation is likely to experience emotion dysregulation (i.e., have problems with the healthy processing of their emotions), which is another important characteristic of GAD that appears to have had only very minimal focus on it in the literature in relation to the development of GAD symptoms.
The main aim of this research is to explore the influence of anxious/ambivalent attachment, in particular, the aspect of emotional support role-reversal in child/caregiver relationships, as a factor in the development of GAD symptoms. A further aim is to examine the difficulties in the processing of emotions that are a characteristic of GAD. The difficulties in emotion processing that a person with GAD symptoms may experience include: (a) difficulty in recognising and describing their emotions; (b) difficulty in accepting their emotions; (c) difficulty in regulating their emotions; and, (d) difficulty in communicating their emotions.
I am seeking individuals, aged 18 years or over, who are willing to volunteer as participants in this research.
Participants needed for this research project will fall into the following four categories:
1. People who experience ”pure” GAD symptoms (i.e. have no other disorder) at a clinical level. This may include: high anxiety, frequent excessive worry (about various things) that is ongoing, and is difficult to control, and may be accompanied by muscle tension.
2. People who experience “pure” GAD symptoms at a sub-clinical level (i.e., experience enough symptoms to cause frequent and considerable distress, but do not experience the symptoms as ongoing for “more days than not for at least 6 months”)
3. People who have GAD and also another anxiety disorder(s) or depression
4. People who do NOT frequently experience ongoing, excessive worry that is difficult to control, and who have no recent history of experiencing any psychological disorder
Participants would take part in a structured interview, taking about 45 minutes, to determine which category they fit best. Participants would also complete a series of questionnaires, taking approximately up to two hours in total, to be done in their own time, and to be returned to the researcher in the stamped, self-addressed envelope provided.
A few people only (and only from those with “pure” GAD) will be invited to take part in a semi-structured interview (to be audio-taped) at a later stage, taking approximately one hour, to discuss their memories and impressions of their interactions with their parents (or main caregivers) when they were growing up.
Participation in this research is entirely voluntary and participants are free to withdraw at any time. No findings which could identify any individual will be published. Only the combined results of all participants’ data will be published.
If you may be willing to take part in this research and/or want more information, please contact Dorothy Jacka (Dot), by leaving a message with your name and contact number on this phone number: 9905 0718, or by emailing: djac5@student.monash.edu
Dorothy Jacka (Dot)
Psychologist
PhD (Psychology) student
Monash University, Clayton campus