Relationship between the General Health of Mothers and the Anxiety of School-Age Children

Background Health is influenced by different factors, the most important of which in the family environment is mothers. This study aimed to determine the anxiety levels of school-age children and their relationship with the general health of mothers in the city of Dezful, Iran. Materials and Methods In this descriptive-analytical study, 623 children aged 9- to 12-year-old studying in the fourth to sixth grades and their mothers were selected from the schools of the city of Dezful, Iran. The data collecting tools was a test battery including a demographic questionnaire, the School Anxiety Scale (SAS) designed by Philips, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 software. Results In this study, of 623 participants, 226 (36.3%) students were female and 397 (63.7%) students were male. The results demonstrated that the anxiety of school-age children were without 37.2% anxiety, 48.8% normal anxiety and 14% severe anxiety. The general health of mothers were 46.1% normal healthy, 45.4% partial healthy, 8% on the eve of the disease, and 0.5% unhealthy.  It showed there was a significant positive correlation between general health of mothers and anxiety score of children (P < 0.001, r = 0.245). Moreover, the children’s anxiety scores were associated with all the dimensions of the mother GHQ. Conclusion There was a significant relationship between the health of mothers and their children’s anxiety level. Thus, it is recommended to utilize strategies including conducting training programs and providing counseling for such children and their families in schools and health centers.