Separation Anxiety As A Medical Condition

Unresolved / Disorganized Attachment the child has an unusually high level of fear and might be disoriented, which can be caused by a traumatic event such as a parent 's death or abuse. A person with a fearful disorganized attachment lives in an ambivalent state of being afraid of being both too close to or too distant from others.  They tend to be mixed up or unpredictable in their moods and experience emotional storms.

Parental abandonment of a child can have long term psychological issues they will suffer from including obsessive thinking, critical thoughts about the abandonment, and self-blame. Child abandonment is when a parent, guardian, or any person taking care of the child or deserts the child without any regard to the child’s physical health, safety, or welfare. From the ages from an infant to 18 years old, that’s when child abandonment takes place. It is the rule of nature for every child to be brought up by two parents. The effect of child abandonment can be felt throughout the child growth as the child displays different characteristics from those who have had the privilege of being brought up by two parents. Parents are the source of joy to most children and a source of pride too. Parental abandonment has been proven to have adverse negative effects on the life of a child as this research paper will highlight.

Changes to family circumstances can have a profound effect on children. Separation or Divorce can leave the child with a sense of bereavement, like they have lost one of their parents. They may feel angry or confused and worried about what will happen to them in the future. They may also feel that they are in some way to blame for the family breakdown so carry a burden of guilt. These negative emotions may lead to a lack of concentration at school, or exhibits themselves as withdrawn or aggressive behaviours.

Most parents know and understand the struggle of sending their toddler off to school for the first time. Separation anxiety in children normal and happens often especially in situations such as, being sent off to school. In Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model, one of the important points made was how within the microsystems, communications between where and who the child spends most of their time with is essential. It was stated that, the amount of quality relationships between the places the child spends the most time in is an important factor in development. To apply this to the situation of helping to ease separation anxiety associated with going to pre-school, the parent should establish a relationship with the teacher before school starts.

When a child is removed from their home at a young age, the consequences can be more severe. During the ages three and four it is not good for a child to be moved but if they do get moved it is good to have a strong bond with their caregivers. If they get moved repeatedly, it makes their attachment issues more sever. Attachment issues create the following troubles such as; poor eye contact, antisocial, problems with learning and lack of physical affection. Theses are not abnormal for a child with theses issues(“Attachment”). There are two different types of attachment issues and they are the one that babies have which is insecure attachment and for older children it is also called Reactive Attachment Disorder. An infant with this disorder may not smile , or coo or make any sounds , or even does not reach out for you to hold them , they may also reject your affection like trying to soothe

Children can also experience grief, due to the loss of relationship with their natural parents. When a child experiences a change in their environment they are faced with emotional and psychological challenges. Many children show signs of depression, withdrawal and even aggression. (Chipungu, S) Attachment disorders in some children may cause disturbance of sleep, hoarding food, excessive eating, self-stimulation and failure to thrive.

Another example of a fear that they might have to deal with is a fear of abandonment. In the process of divorce children feel as if they are losing a parent. From this they gain a fear of losing the other parent. Children also worry about who will take care of them and be there after school (DeBord, 1997). An additional fear they might possess is the loss of attachment. Attachments are made between all members of a family, even pets. When a divorce causes a change in the frequency of communication and contact between family members there could be some distress (DeBord, 1997). Finally, the lingering animosity between parents after the divorce can be a huge source of stress for a child. Thus, although the divorce does take place between parents it has an obvious affect on the children and is seen a major cause of stress for them.

Today, the exact cause of Separation Anxiety Disorder is unknown (According to an article by Psychology Today). Although the exact cause is unknown, we do know of some risk factors. According to various articles, kids that come from very united families are more likely to develop SAD if separation from a parent occurs or a traumatic event such as, physical assault occurs. Boston Children’s Hospital says that, “…a child can also inherit that parent’s anxiety…” and that “…anxiety may be learned from family members and others who are noticeably stressed or anxious around a child.” Those are only some ways a kid might end up developing SAD. Various articles also suggest that a factor that seems to be common in kids with Separation Anxiety

Children experience separation disorder in a more severe form than infant Children may develop physical complications when separated. Children sometimes get an upset stomach, nausea, or vomiting. Symptoms include hyperventilating headaches and diarrhea. Behavioral symptoms that a child might exhibit when they have anxiety include hesitancy or refusal to separate from the caregiver. The children may start begging, whining, and crying. Having tantrums if confronted with separation is normal. They may refuse to go to school or even refuse to sleep alone. Teen’s experience separation anxiety quite frequently. when separated from their cell phone, or friends. Signs of separation disorder included the constant worry of where the phone is located. They worry about battery life. Adults become paranoid and expect the worst. They begin to hyperventilate some get headaches and become very anxious.

Separation anxiety disorder involves excessive anxiety concerning separation from home or attachment figures, usually parents.

Very young children who are removed face an additional danger added by the experience itself, which is separation. The emotional and developmental harm that may come to them is related to how they perceive the reason for the

I was sitting at my desk looking at the new worksheet my teacher 3rd grade teacher had just handed out. I looked at the clock and saw the time, 11:14, and wrote it on my paper. Later I looked at the clock again, 11:20, and wrote it down again. I glanced at the clock yet again, 11:21, and jot the number down once again. Eventually I had a line of times written down my worksheet. I didn't know why I was doing it, or even that it was weird of me to do it. I just felt the need to do it and I did. It became such a common action that my mom bought be a little notebook for me to specifically write my times in so I didn't have to clutter up my homework.

Twelve months before attending the agency the client began to demonstrate increasing levels of anxiety. This anxiety commenced with significant difficulties being separated from his mother or father at home, to go to school, stay with family and play with friends. The parents said the client’s behaviours included clinging on to them and chasing after them as they were leaving the house or school. He would also check their location in the house to confirm that they were still there. On occasion his behaviour deteriorated into tantrums, although this only happened at home. The parents also expressed concern that the boy’s teacher noticed he was refusing to eat at school. The parents also reported their child was unable to get to sleep without their presence. He would awaken with nightmares at least three times a week saying he was frightened something bad was happening to them. The parents stated that it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to manage their son’s behaviour.

This paper examines the various symptoms of Separation Anxiety Disorder among children and adolescents, the refusal of children diagnosed with Separation Anxiety Disorder to go to school, and the treatments that are used to treat this disorder. Studies have shown that Separation Anxiety Disorder is the third most common anxiety disorder among children. Symptoms are fairly easy to recognize, but must be addressed quickly. Refusal to go to school is one of the most significant consequences of this disorder. Treatments are being made available to children who suffer from this disorder and advances in research are being made.

There was an experiment called “The Strange Situation” which studied children when their mothers left them in a room with a stranger, then returned. Researchers studied the reaction when mother both left and returned. A securely attached child would either go to their parent for comfort or greet her with a smile, fully content with what they were doing (Steinberg). An insecurely attached child would want to be picked up but did not feel comforted by it and they could kick or push their mother away (Steinberg). An indifferent child could ignore their mother when they return (Steinberg).