The short answer is yes but with some important clarifications. First, it probably isn’t anxiety itself that is inherited, rather it is a biological sensitivity or vulnerability to developing an anxiety problem. It is not like inheriting eye color. It is more like inheriting how fast you can run. Biology is a factor but then a lot depends on the person and the environment. It is very clear that anxiety problems run in families. So if you have relatives with anxiety that increases the chance your child may have an anxiety problem. Numerous studies suggest anywhere from 10-50% (depending on type of anxiety) more than people without anxious relatives. However, this does not mean anything close to a “sure thing”. There are a number of other things that must take place in a rather specific chronology for an anxiety problem to actually develop and persist. There really is not anything to be done about your child’s genetic makeup but if there is anxiety in the family what you can do is be proactive in helping your child learn to manage anxiety if you see any signs.
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