SEPARATION TRIGGERS KIDS' GREATEST ANXIETY.Many children fear the boogie man and the monster under the bed, but some kids' anxieties have nothing to do with make-believe creatures. For them, separating from their parents--even for a short time--creates great physical or emotional distress emotional distress n. an increasingly popular basis for a claim of damages in lawsuits for injury due to the negligence or intentional acts of another. Originally damages for emotional distress were only awardable in conjunction with damages for actual physical harm. ."More children suffer from anxiety disorders Anxiety disorders A group of distinct psychiatric disorders characterized by marked emotional distress and social impairment, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. than any other psychological problem," notes Wendy Nilsen, a graduate therapist in the Purdue University Purdue University (pərdy  `, -d`), main campus at West Lafayette, Ind. Anxiety Clinic, West Lafayette West Lafayette, city (1990 pop. 25,907), Tippecanoe co., W Ind., a suburb of Lafayette, on the Wabash River; inc. 1924. A primarily residential city, it is the seat of Purdue Univ. , Ind. "The
most common type of anxiety in children is fear of being separated from
their parents." Such youngsters are afraid they will become hurt or
lost while away from their parents or that their parents will be in
danger.
A child's natural temperament temperament, in music, the altering of certain intervals from their acoustically correct values to provide a system of tuning whereby music can move from key to key without unacceptably impure sonorities. can play a part in separation anxiety. Also, many toddlers go through a developmental stage where they fear strangers or separation from their parents--usually starting at about age nine months and ending about age two, indicates Scott Vrana, associate professor of psychological sciences and director of the Anxiety Clinic. For some kids, the condition persists throughout childhood, even causing problems in adolescence adolescence, time of life from onset of puberty to full adulthood. The exact period of adolescence, which varies from person to person, falls approximately between the ages 12 and 20 and encompasses both physiological and psychological changes. and adulthood. "Very often, it is not seen until the child starts preschool, or a parent takes a job outside the home for the first time. Sometimes, life stresses, such as a serious illness or changing schools, can trigger separation anxiety. "If the child doesn't calm down within 10 minutes after you leave, or if the anxiety goes on for weeks--those are signs that your child may need counseling for the problem," Vrana says. Other signals include a youngster who worries to the point of becoming sick or who refuses to play or sleep over away from home. Vrana and Nilsen offer tips for all parents faced with children upset about being apart from them for a period of time: * Do not give in to it. Let children know that they will be okay; help get them settled; and then leave or send them to school. * Encourage brave behaviors. Remind them how well they have done in the past when Mommy and Daddy have been away, if there were such times. Suggest to them how Barney or the Power Rangers This article lists fictional characters from the Power Rangers universe who have served as Power Rangers. Unlike the List of Power Rangers characters, which lists serving Power Rangers alphabetically alongside other characters from the same fictional universe, this article lists only might handle the situation. * Tell kids in advance what's going to happen. "We've dealt with parents who wake a child up one morning and suddenly send him to preschool without ever having talked about it with the child beforehand. That's not good," Vrana emphasizes. * Focus on the positive. Don't let them dwell on dwell on or upon Verb to think, speak, or write at length about (something) Verb 1. dwell on - delay linger over the negative things that might happen, but rather on the fun they will have at school or day care. |
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