It is a form of recurrent and more than expected anxiety depending on the developmental level of the child due to separation from home or from the person to whom he/she is attached, which is seen around the age of 7-9 for at least 4 weeks.
The child believes that he will lose the people he is attached to or that something will happen to them. He does not want to go to school or anywhere else for fear of separation.
In this disorder, the child experiences difficulties in important areas of functionality, namely in school, out-of-school friend relationships and social life.
There are various risk factors in the formation of this disorder. Some of the negativities experienced in school, birth of a new sibling, death of a relative, long separation of the child from his parents, interdependence in the mother-child relationship are among the risks emphasized.
These fears can be alleviated with appropriate parental attitudes and support from the school.
Studies have determined that in addition to genetic characteristics and heredity, environmental interactions and parental characteristics are also determinative in this disorder. The child has experienced problems in the transition from previous developmental stages and has been unsuccessful.
Separation anxiety is much higher in children of mothers diagnosed with panic disorder, compared to children in the community. First-degree relatives of children with separation anxiety also have a high risk of developing this disorder.
An important factor in the development of the disorder is the quality of the mother-child relationship. Parents who are overly fond of their child, do not give responsibility, impose excessive discipline, limit or neglect, do not give only and constant warnings instead of being an example, do not give confidence, blame, and have physical or mental problems prevent the child from passing through the developmental stages in a healthy way, and these children adapt in the future. they experience problems.
The temperament characteristics of the child and the attitudes and behaviors of the parents play an important role in the relationship that the child establishes with the whole environment, especially with the parents.
The form of treatment here is a versatile form of treatment. In other words, approaches that target both parents and children are used. Both of these approaches can be drug therapy in severe cases. Studies have found an 81% improvement in cases where drug therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapies are applied together.
