Separation Anxiety In Children

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.

As infants develop they learn and experience emotions in a predictable order. Somewhere between birth and 8 months infants are still so new to world that they have no knowledge of what is normal or what could be dangerous. Things that do occur just seem different, and not frightening. As an infant starts to become more developed and familiar with their surroundings and environment they feel safe and comfortable with parents,

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

As the babies begin to recognise people around them this has an impact on their emotional development as they can become distressed when people are not around.

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

From the start of childbirth, children depend on their parent(s) or caregiver(s) to take care of their needs in life (Rodrigue & Reeves, 2015). Four types of attachment to focus on are: secure attachment, insecure-resistant attachment, insecure-avoidant attachment, and insecure-disorganized attachment. Secure attachment refers to when the parent(s) or caregiver(s) are present in the child’s life. Children feel comfortable about being independent to an extent and will interact with new and familiar things on their own in the presence of their caregiver. Separation may cause distress, due to the dependence and attachment to the caregiver. Insecure-avoidant the child does not rely on the care giver for safety and will be precociously independent. They also do relatively well with the caregiver being non present and opened to interacting with strangers. Insecure-resistant attachment the caregiver has the child more focused on their presence and will avoid new experiences even if the caregiver is present. If separation occurs, they become distress and do not cope well even after their return. Finally, insecure-disorganized attachment children show more disoriented or strange behaviors. They will wander with no purpose and show engagement in any activity while being distressed and confused about what they should do or how to interact with or around the

Children in this category will usually show a pattern of anxiousness or disorganization, but they are very independent and very aware of their relationship with their caregiver. In insecure attachment, it can be inferred that the child was either abused or neglected, but it’s not always the case. Secure attachment is classified by children who show some distress when their mom or primary caregiver leaves but can control themselves if they know their caregiver is returning. These children usually feel protected by their mom or caregiver. This is usually because the toddler knows that the primary caregiver will return. In anxious ambivalent attachment at extreme the child and the caregiver cannot separate at all. In anxious avoidant, the child does not want a connection with the primary caregiver at

Disruption to attachment can stem from separation anxiety through to reactive attachment disorder. Young infants already have an ability of distinguishing their primary caregiver through senses such as hearing, taste, smell therefore infants are more in-tune of this disruption and can cause distress or harm to the child if experienced.

Securely attached children differ in their physical and emotional reactions when placed in novel situations without the perceived security of their parents when compared to insecurely attached children (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall; 2014). A child who is securely attached has confidence that their caregiver will return and can thus explore their environment freely while an insecurely attached child becomes extremely upset when separated and are often difficult to console upon their caregivers return (Jurbergs & Ledley,

We, as humans, are very social creatures, we need to maintain a sense of belonging. We do this by having the need to develop strong relationships. Being able to process emotions and flourish in a relationship, are important skills that are needed when one is faced with loneliness. According to Lopez on pages 326-327, at a young age, if the parent is inconsistent or unresponsive, it would result in the child developing anxiety or trust issues in the future. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a connection to develop between the infant and the caregiver. There are 3 ways to identify an infant 's attachment; secure, insecure, and insecure-avoidant. All of these are examples of different parenting styles and how the kids react to their parent’s consistency or inconsistency. A

Robertson classified the three stages of separation, protest, despair, and denial or detachment. Bowlby next concluded that separation anxiety in children and adults is usually triggered when feelings of flight and attachment occur and there is no attachment figure vacant. Bowlby disagreed with Freud who said maternal over gratification is a jeopardy in infancy. Freud overlooked the part that fake affection and overprotection might be coming from a mother’s repayment of the natural, unfriendly nature she has. To conclude, Bowlby’s opinion is as follows: Separation anxiety is because of harmful family experiences. It can be threats of abandonment or rejection, or possibly because of a siblings illness or death, which the child feels responsible for. Further, Bowlby mentioned that sometimes separation anxiety is not there at all which shows a great maturity. He claimed a well-loved kid will detest separation from a parent, but he will later on grow self-determination. Separation anxiety can evolve into something darker than just the anxiety aspect. Bowlby said grief and mourning happens when the attachment figure is continuously unavailable. He stated that deep relationships do not happen when the attachment figure is replaced too

SAD is one of the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorders among children. It is completely normal for adolescents, especially in very young adolescents, to experience some degree of separation anxiety. In comparison, separation anxiety disorder is excessive worry or anxiety that goes beyond the expected amount for the child's developmental level. SAD is characterized by excessive anxiety concerning separation from home or from those to whom a child is attached. While some tend to believe that this anxiety disorder is more common among females than males, it has been determined that SAD occurs at approximately the same rate in males and females (Eisen & Schaefer, 2005). Separation Anxiety Disorder is not permanent. It can be cured; however children with SAD are at higher risk for the development of other anxiety disorders and depression not only in adolescence, but in adulthood as well. Studies have shown that children who are diagnosed with SAD are much more likely to have are much more likely to develop panic disorder, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and several others later in life. Studies have also shown that children diagnosed with SAD have similar symptoms that occur among them. Primary symptoms include excessive worry about potential harm to self or major attachment figures, frequent nightmares about separation, physical ailments such as nausea, headaches, stomach pains, as well as