What Causes Separation Anxiety in Children?

Separation anxiety disorder of childhood A translation of "child separation anxiety disorder". An anxiety disorder. A severe anxiety reaction caused by children's fear of separation from their loved ones. It is normal for just-toddler and preschool children to show some level of anxiety when they actually or may be parting with someone they are attached to, only when this anxiety of fear of separation exceeds their usual levels of age or is accompanied by significant social functions This condition is diagnosed only when it is damaged. The prevalence rate reported abroad is 2.4% to 4.7%. Girls are more common. ^[1]

Dissociative anxiety disorder refers to excessive anxiety and developmental discomfort when an individual is separated from his or her attachment partner or separated from his or her family. It is one of the mental disorders commonly found in childhood and early adolescence. It is also common in some parents and patients undergoing psychological treatment. Separation anxiety disorder for infants and young children refers to the excessive anxiety behaviors of children when they are separated from the attachment target (usually parents) because they are overly concerned about the safety of the subject and themselves, overly afraid of separation and can no longer get together with the subject. According to the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the fourth edition, children may develop separation anxiety disorder when their anxiety lasts more than 4 weeks and affects their daily activities such as schooling or entertainment. , SAD).

The cause of separation anxiety disorder in children may be related to

There are many researches on the causes of separation anxiety at home and abroad, with different analysis angles. The general view is that separation anxiety results from the loss of attachment objects. Attachment is an emotional connection between an infant and an adult (parent or other caregiver). Since the 1990s, people have paid attention to exploring the causes of separation anxiety from multiple perspectives, such as the environment and genetics. For example, Feigon et al. Found that genetics has a greater effect on girls' separation anxiety than boys; Topolski et al. The difference is not significant, and the common environmental factors have little effect on the formation of separation anxiety. Kendler and others found that anxiety has a certain genetic basis, although it is not particularly significant. China's Zhu Lixin (2001) proposed that parent-child separation anxiety is a reflection of young children's sense of insecurity and fear of strangers and strangers. In response to this, habitology theory believes that separation anxiety is a relatively complex emotional response, which includes general fear and anxiety about unfamiliar things. Cognitive development theory holds that separation anxiety is a natural product of children's perception and cognitive development. Based on Piaget's theory, some scholars have also proposed that separation anxiety is a retrogressive phenomenon in the development of young children. More studies have shown that the causes of separation anxiety in infants and children are intricate and complex, and are the result of the interaction of multiple factors.

Based on various viewpoints, the cause of separation anxiety disorder in children is closely related to children, their environment and others. The causes of children's separation anxiety disorder can be divided into the following aspects. First, from the perspective of young children themselves, it is mainly their temperament type, anxious personality, and genetics. Second, dissociative anxiety is a child's instinctual insecurity and fear of unfamiliar environments when the environment is changed. Including the impact of social and environmental terrorist incidents. Third, the type of attachment formed by infants and caregivers is the main reason for children to develop anxiety disorders.

When the environment changes, children's separation anxiety is a normal psychological phenomenon. However, once the anxiety time is too long, it will have a significant impact on children's physical and mental health, and even harm children's physiological functions. Therefore, the research on the correction of separation anxiety disorder is an important content of separation anxiety research.

Researchers who correct anxiety disorders are mainly researchers in the field of psychology and researchers in the field of education. Psychological researchers believe that the corrective treatment of anxiety disorders is mainly based on medication and psychotherapy, of which psychotherapy is dominant. Among the psychotherapy methods considered to be the most effective is cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a short-term psychological treatment that eliminates bad emotions and behaviors by changing bad cognition. For example, Zhu Hui, Pan Jiangning (2009) and others proposed from the level of children's own development that cognitive goals and behavioral skills interventions can be used to achieve correction. Weng Huiliang (2004), Pan Qixu (2008), etc. believe that the relief of children's anxiety disorders should be based on psychological intervention, supplemented by drug therapy, and drug therapy is not recommended for children in the sensitive period of separation. The cognitive behavior correction technology proposed by Meikenbaum abroad is widely recognized. ^[2]

Scholars in the field of education have proposed positive impact measures from the perspective of education to correct children's separation anxiety disorder. For example, Meng Limei puts forward a comprehensive application of education strategies to familiarize the environment, pre-entry, and provide environmental support to alleviate children's separation anxiety; Zhao Yijun (2009) made educational suggestions on home cooperation, admission methods, teacher-led role, and family education. Qi Haiqin (2003) also explored the corrective measures of children's separation anxiety disorder from the perspective of educational strategies of parents, teachers and homes. The corrective measures for children's separation anxiety disorder in the education field can be summarized as the following three aspects. One is that teachers adopt targeted teaching strategies; the other is that parents improve the children's admission adaptability through preparation for entering the park; Cooperation and communication.