Sammanfattning
Even though parent involvement is considered important in the assessment and treatment of youths with anxiety disorders, fathers usually participate to a lesser degree than mothers. In this study we examined factors predicting the degree of fathers’ participation in assessment and treatment of anxious youth referred to outpatient child mental health clinics. Participants were drawn from an RCT study evaluating the effects of cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders (8-15 years, 53 % girls). Our sub study included 171 children for which data on fathers’ participation were available. The results showed a significantly higher degree of participation from fathers in sessions with assessment and psychoeducation, compared to other treatment sessions. However, none of the examined factors were significantly associated with the degree of fathers’ participation. Motivation of fathers to be more involved in the treatment of their children seems to be a clinical challenge.