Separation anxiety is defined as the individual's inability to separate from the person or home to which he or she is attached, or feeling intense anxiety and uneasiness when moving away from the home or person. This disorder is seen in children as clinging to the mother or primary caregiver and crying crises when away from the mother. When these children reach school age, they may have problems adapting to school. Children with separation anxiety may insist on not going to school in the morning, refuse school by saying they are sick, experience somatic symptoms due to the stress of school, and may actually experience nausea, stomachaches and headaches and be absent. This disorder can also be seen as truancy in high school-age adolescents.
Separation anxiety is based on Attachment Theory. Attachment theory is the bond based on trust established by the mother and the baby. A baby is a creature that is completely dependent on its mother in the first two years from birth; It needs its mother to protect itself from dangers and to survive. During this period, it is essential for the mother to meet the baby's vital needs and provide him with a warm and safe environment for the formation of secure attachment. In secure attachment, the baby knows that he will be fed when he is hungry, taken care of when he cries, and protected from dangers.
This is the first and most important step in the child's sense of confidence in the outside world and himself in later years. Because secure attachment provides the safe environment away from dangers that the child needs while exploring life and himself. Thus, the child can examine the outside world calmly, learn through exploration and observation, and receive useful feedback from the mother.
Children who are securely attached to their mothers become restless when their mothers leave the room; They also show joy when the mother comes back. older children Babies, on the other hand, can calm themselves down by thinking that the mother will definitely return, even if they feel uneasy. This is the biggest distinguishing feature of secure attachment.
Separation anxiety is often seen in cases where there is no secure attachment and the child is attached to the caregiver in an unhealthy, anxious and insecure way in infancy. Apart from this, overly anxious/anxious/protective parental attitudes, inconsistent attention to the child or attitudes away from warmth, being separated for a long time in infancy, and separation-themed traumatic experiences in childhood may also cause separation anxiety.
Although school refusal is common in separation anxiety, the child's inability to separate from the mother is more prominent. Studies suggest that the basis of the school refusal seen in separation anxiety is the child's inability to handle being in an environment separate from the mother, rather than the child not wanting to go to school. For this reason, even if the children go to school, they demand that their mothers wait for them until school is over and stand in a place where they can see them when looking out the window. At later ages, they cannot get away from their mothers because of the worry that their mothers may be harmed in an environment where they are not present, and they have difficulty going to school on their own.
To prevent separation anxiety, secure attachment should be established with the baby between the ages of 0-2. is essential. Likewise, a reassuring and warm attitude should be maintained during weaning and toilet training, but at the same time, boundaries should be set consistently and clearly. The child should be given tasks appropriate to his age and encouraged to do these tasks alone.
The child should not be overprotective, the child should be allowed to explore and make mistakes; your mother needs to keep him safe while he explores and plays He should be made to know that he will do things and that he will come back even if he leaves.
In the critical age range (0-2), long-term separations should be avoided; However, after the age of 2, it is also very important to prepare the child for school with short-term separations (such as leaving the child to a caregiver for a certain period of time in accordance with his age). Gradual exposure and family therapy for anxious children; Cognitive behavioral therapy is also very beneficial for adolescents with absenteeism and adaptation problems.
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