What are childhood fears and which are the most frequent?

Fears are very useful emotions that for hundreds of thousands of years have helped us avoid all kinds of threats. throughout the evolution of our species, and to be cautious in unknown, risky or dangerous situations.

Now, one of the characteristics of emotions is that they are not limited by the logic of reason, and it is that's why they sometimes appear or disappear in ways that get us into trouble, especially if we don't know them manage. And in the case of fear, we are relatively prone to suffer it in situations in which it does not contribute to us. benefits: moments in which we are not exposed to real dangers, but, in any case, only to dangers imagined.

Taking into account that in the first years of life of the human being our capacity for abstract and rational thought is limited, and that we have little information about how the world works, it is not surprising that many children suffer from childhood fears on a frequent basis. These are stressful and distressing experiences that, if not adequately addressed by parents, can damage their quality of life and prevent them from daring to learn on their own. Therefore, in this article

we will talk about the most common childhood fears and their characteristics, so that it is easy to understand why they occur.

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What are childhood fears?

In the early stages of child development it is very common for the boy or girl to develop more or less intense specific fears in line with the traits of your personality and your way of being; Fears that make you avoid supposedly dangerous, risky or unknown situations.

These fears can be experienced in objectively harmless situations while growing up., something that is perfectly normal and that can favor the correct intellectual and emotional development of it.

In a certain sense, childhood fears are useful: they serve to prevent the ignorance of the little ones in the house from exposing them to dangerous situations, and that they do not go too far from their parents (or in any case, that they do so through contexts that they already know good).

Many of these fears, however, can be maintained in a sustained manner over time, which generates in the long run, a very negative impact on both the physical and psychological health of the child or adolescent.

In this article we will focus on those maladaptive fears that notably affect the mental health of the child, as well as the main characteristics of the most common childhood fears.

There are a series of childhood fears that tend to be shared with greater prevalence among young and pre-adolescent boys and girls; let's see what they are.

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Most common childhood fears

Intense fears in children tend to appear more commonly between the ages of 3 and 6; however, at other ages, maladaptive and exacerbated fears can also be experienced that ostensibly affect the physical or psychological health of the child.

Because childhood fears can change as the development of the child evolves, here we present the main fears associated with each stage of growth of the boy or girl.

1. Between 8 and 9 months of age

Babies who are between 8 and 9 months old often have great fear or anxiety about strangers. It is at this stage that they begin to develop the ability to identify familiar faces; however, the faces of unknown people cause them fear and disturb them.

This fear can be resolved by the parents, helping the baby to feel safe and making that she sleep in her own room after 5 months so that she does not develop excessive dependence.

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2. Between 10 months and 3 years

Around the age of 3, babies usually develop a fear of abandonment that can vary in intensity depending on their personal characteristics. This fear or anxiety of separation manifests itself whenever they have to separate from their parents and it causes them great discomfort..

This usually happens when we leave the baby in the nursery or when his parents have to be separated from him for a few hours. At this time the child may refuse to let her parents leave and cry profusely.

Although this reaction may be normal in some children, the problem can arise when this fear of abandonment lasts for several years and continues to present a fear of separation from their parents.

3. at 4 years

Around 4 years of age, the fear of the dark usually appears, one of the most shared by boys and girls around the world, whose catalyst is being in dark rooms without any light to see your surroundings.

It is a fear that we can solve by leaving a small light on in his room and that can become a problem if it lasts more than 2 or 3 years in the child's life.

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4. up to 6 years

Between the ages of 4 and 6, the fear of unreal things or beings is common., such as the presence of monsters or any other fantastic or mythological creature.

This fear is due to the fact that the child is not yet capable of distinguishing what is real from what is not, so it can feeling threatened by all sorts of scary creatures under your bed or inside your closet room.

5. From 7 years

Boys and girls over 7 years old begin to develop fears about things that can happen in real life, no matter how unlikely they are.

For example, at these ages they tend to fear that there is a stranger at home who could hurt them, that a loved one could die, and that a traffic accident or natural disaster could happen.

In addition to that, some of the other childhood fears that are triggered at that age have to do with fear of exams or academic results and fear of not fitting in with classmates class.

6. During adolescence and preadolescence

During the period of adolescence and pre-adolescence it is common for fears to be mostly related to social issues.

These fears are usually the fear of not having friends, the fear of one's own physical image, the fear of not fit in at school or college or the fear of failing in academics, sports or the love.