How to identify childhood separation anxiety?

Childhood separation anxiety is, in short, the discomfort that some boys and girls show when they physically separate from their attachment figure. In the first months of life it is completely normal for an experience of this type to appear when the fathers and mothers momentarily move away from the baby, but after a certain age, it can constitute a psychopathology.

This anxiety can be manifested through different behaviors, such as refusal to leave the house, nightmares related to separation or somatic pain (such as headaches).

In this article you will know better how to identify separation anxiety disorder in children, what characteristic features does your diagnosis present and what symptoms can be observed in it.

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What is childhood separation anxiety?

Separation anxiety is classified in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM 5) as a disorder within the category of anxiety disorders

. The identification and intervention of this affectation is relevant, since it is one of the first emotional maladjustments associated with anxiety in appearing in the early stages of life, and can lead to other more serious problems.

The main symptom of this pathology is an excessive and inappropriate fear or anxiety for the level of development of the individual, in relation to the separation from those people for whom he feels or has attachment In addition, three additional symptoms or behaviors must be present that we will mention later.

As with other mental disorders, the symptomatology must present a minimum of time, in this case at least 4 weeks in children and adolescents. Currently, the diagnosis can also be made in adulthood, but in this population it will be necessary to prolong the affectation for at least 6 months for the problem to be diagnosed as anxiety disorder due to separation. Likewise, the pathology causes discomfort or affectation in some of the areas of the subject's life.

DSM 5 places the prevalence of this disorder between 0.9 and 1.9% of the population, being much higher in childhood, with a percentage of 4%. Separation anxiety disorder is considered more frequent in children under 12 years of age compared to other anxiety disorders. If we look at the clinical population, that is, the one that has been diagnosed, we see a greater number of affected males, but if we take into account the general population, all subjects, it is more common in women.

The age at which this pathology is most present is 9 years, although an interval of 6 to 11 years is proposed as the period of greatest risk for developing this type of anxiety. It should also be noted that separation anxiety it is a relatively normal phenomenon between 8 to 18 months of baby, not considering this pathological.

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What behaviors are typical in separation anxiety?

In order to identify and diagnose separation anxiety disorder, it is important to look at some behaviors or actions of the child in situations in which she stops being physically very close to the caregivers. As it is a type of anxiety that appears in specific situations and given that the age of the subject who may present the pathology makes it difficult for them to express what they feel, It will be essential to have the opinion and observation of third parties, such as parents or teachers..

As we have already said, the main symptom is the presence of anxiety or fear on the part of the subject before the possibility of separation or separation from a person or persons with whom you have a close relationship, usually parents. This fear is expressed through different behaviors, of which 3 must be shown in order to make the diagnosis. It is also essential to look at the intensity and duration of the symptoms, since it is pertinent that the discomfort, worry, anxiety or fear be excessive and occur persistently.

Although all the symptoms can appear at any age, we have seen that some are more typical at younger ages and others at later ages. For example, in the period of 5 to 8 years nightmares are more common; In contrast, adolescents tend to complain more of somatic discomfort, such as stomach pain.

So let's see what symptoms help us detect and identify separation anxiety in children.

1. Excessive and repetitive distress when separation from home or attachment figure occurs or is anticipated

It is common for children with this type of anxiety to show distressed at the separation from their attachment figure and even present a lot of discomfort when they anticipate that it may appearalthough it has not yet taken place. Faced with this situation, they can be apathetic, lacking motivation, sad and socially withdrawn, that is, they do not interact with people other than their parents.

Such is the discomfort of separation that can manifest symptoms of a panic attack such as sweating, trembling or rapid heartbeat. You can also express fear or discomfort with tears.

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2. Excessive and persistent worry about the possibility of losing the person of attachment

Children with separation anxiety are very worried about losing their parents, being abandoned, or facing the thought that your attachment figure may disappear due to damage, illness or even death.

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3. Excessive concern about the possibility that an adverse event will lead to separation from the attachment figure

The child expresses fear or anxiety that something bad might happen to him and lead to the attachment figure separating from him. In this case it is similar to the previous symptom, since he fears the possible separation, but on this occasion the concern is that something happens to him and not to his parents, for example that he could get lost or be kidnapped by someone.

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4. Shows resistance to going away from home

we see how the child repeatedly resists or refuses to leave home for no obvious reason; that is, if the child was sick, her behavior could be justified. Thus, he avoids leaving his home and shows opposition to going to school or any other place even if he likes the activity to be carried out.

5. Resist being home alone

Also, the child shows resistance to being home alone or with someone other than their attachment figure.

In reference to this symptom, we must take into account the age of the child; this means that we will value his behavior depending on how old he is, if he is small it is clear that it will not be normal to leave him alone at home.

Also note that he will be considered to meet this symptom if he shows refusal to stay alone in a room, even if his parents are at home but in another room. They tend to constantly follow their parents wherever they go, never leaving them alone.

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6. Shows reluctance to sleep away from home

The child refuses to sleep anywhere other than their own home, even if the place is known as the house of a relative. It may also be that he is reluctant to sleep away from the attachment figure, being able to sleep away from home, but always with her.

In the same way, we will observe that they do not want to go to camps, stay overnight at a friend's house or travel.

7. Has repeated nightmares related to separation

The boy reports having dreams related to separation, loss, from the attachment figure. These nightmares occur repeatedly and persistently and, as we have already mentioned, they are more common in younger subjects, between 5 and 8 years old.

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8. Refers to repeated complaints of physical symptoms when separation occurs

The child complains of somatic, physical discomfort, such as headache, stomach, muscle... When he foresees the separation of the linked figure coming soon or when such an event is happening. In this case, it is also important to assess whether this discomfort appears only before the separation, that is, only in this specific situation and check that it is not a punctual behavior, but that it persists over time and is repeated.

9. Shows trouble going to sleep

It is common to observe that at bedtime, children with this problem resist going to bed or ask their parents to stay with them. They may also get up at night and go to their parents' or siblings' room to sleep with them.

10. He may present other fears

The child may express having other types of fears such as the dark, thieves, accidents, animals or fantastic beings, among others. Namely, fear of stimuli or elements that may lead to separation from the linked figure.

The solution is to go to therapy

Faced with separation anxiety, the most effective way to overcome the disorder is to attend therapy as soon as possible psychological, so that this alteration does not produce a domino effect giving rise to other sources of emotional discomfort and psychosocial.

If you are interested in having psychological support for fathers and mothers or you are looking for child psychotherapy services, Get in contact with us.