Reducing a Child’s Risk of Anxiety and Depression

This resource provides strategies for parents and carers about how to reduce the risk of developing depression or clinical anxiety in children aged 5-11 years.

Select ‘Children (aged 5-11 years)’ to access the guidelines.

‘These guidelines are a general set of recommendations on how you as a parent can reduce your child’s risk of developing depression or clinical anxiety. These recommendations may also be useful for parents whose child is already experiencing some symptoms of depression or anxiety. We recognise that each family is unique, so you may need to adapt these strategies to your specifc situation. They were based on a systematic review of research evidence and the consensus of an international panel of 44 experts with a minimum of five years of experience in either clinical treatment or research involving parenting and childhood depression or anxiety disorders.’

It includes the following topics:

• ‘What do we mean by depression and anxiety problems?’
• ‘You can reduce your child’s risk of developing depression and clinical anxiety’
• ‘Establish and maintain a good relationship with your child’
• ‘Be involved and support increasing autonomy’
• ‘Encourage supportive relationships’
• ‘Establish family rules and consequences’
• ‘Encourage good health habits’
• ‘Minimise conflict in the home’
• ‘Help your child manage emotions’
• ‘Help your child to set goals and solve problems’
• ‘Support your child when something is bothering them’
• ‘Help your child to manage anxiety so that it doesn’t become a problem’
• ‘Encourage professional help seeking when needed’
• ‘Resources for parents’