Anxiety is becoming an increasingly common problem in society; However, there are problems such as 'delay in getting support' or 'confusion with fear' for anxiety disorder. There is a clear line between anxiety and fear. The most important difference between them is; Fear is an emotional response that occurs in the face of a consciously recognized specific danger (generally external pressure or danger). For example, we know the source of fear, as in the statement "I am afraid of dogs." Anxiety, on the other hand, is an emotional reaction to unknown, unclear, objectless dangers, and is a natural internal state in which the values necessary for the individual's own existence are threatened.
This situation affects the child's psychological-social adaptation and development. An anxiety disorder may occur if it is of such intensity and duration that it impairs its functions. Anxiety that does not impair functionality is not a symptom of disease. In fact, anxiety felt to a certain extent can increase a person's functionality. Because anxiety acts as an alarm in danger situations and enables the person to take precautions against the danger he feels. It is possible to say that a certain level of anxiety is advantageous and useful in situations where performance is expected.
How Does Anxiety Occur in Children?
Childhood years are the fastest developmental years of human life. . During these years, the foundations of physical, mental, social and emotional development are laid. The child tries to get to know his environment, understand the relationships around him in his own way, gain a perspective on events and interpret events. During this development process, the child's anxiety level begins to take shape according to the environmental conditions he is in.
The feeling of anxiety increases or decreases depending on the behavior of parents, teachers and friends. Environmental factors that increase stress, such as the rapid development of technology, scientific discoveries, population growth and economic difficulties, also increase people's anxiety. Any situation that threatens the well-being of the organism is assumed to constitute a concern. Threats of physical harm, threats to self-esteem, and situations that require more performance than an individual is capable of also cause anxiety.
Why Does Anxiety Occur?
Every y The causes of anxiety may be different depending on the age group and each child; But in general, the sources of anxiety according to age can be listed as follows:
For 0-1 years old; Absence of the parent, noisy environments, not meeting basic needs, being overly dependent on the mother, and sudden weaning or deprivation of the mother's breast may cause anxiety.
For 1-3 years old; Encountering a stranger or the absence of a caregiver may cause anxiety.
For 3-6 years old; Darkness, animals and imaginary creatures, and sudden environmental changes can cause anxiety. During this period, castration in 3-4 year old boys, the realization that girls' genitals are different from boys, and the arrival of a new sibling in the family may cause anxiety.
For 6-7 years old; Strangers, noise and loud voices, thunder, bad fairy tale heroes, separation from family, being alone at night, starting and going to school, not being able to make friends and not being wanted by friends, and not being successful can cause anxiety.
In addition to these, excessively rejecting and humiliating attitudes to which the child is exposed during childhood, the sarcastic attitudes of other adults during adolescence, the repulsive behavior of parents accompanying punishment, keeping the child under physical or psychological pressure, undermining the child. Reactions to wetting and sexual games, overprotective attitudes, conflicting wishes and inconsistencies of parents, and ongoing conflicts between parents in divorced families even after the divorce may cause anxiety in the child.
What is Seen in Children with Anxiety Disorder?
Psychological symptoms in children with anxiety disorders are generally as follows: Restlessness, excessive excitement, worry, difficulty in collecting thoughts, feeling of mental stagnation, loss of control, fear of going crazy or death.
Although the creativity of many children with anxiety disorders is more developed than other children, they cannot make creative plans to cope with anxiety. Even if they are able to make creative plans, they give up quickly because they cannot cope with their own emotions and the consequences They want to see you immediately. Even when they control their emotions and minimize these feelings in situations where they feel anxious, they do not feel successful.
Studying less, being more lonely and unhappy when friend support is needed due to having fewer friends, avoiding fun activities (such as sports, music or painting), feeling less confident in class even if they are meticulous and hardworking about their homework. It has been determined that some of them get low grades in the exam due to their anxiety, which they rarely express, and although some of them overcome their anxiety problem in later ages, the risk of depressive problems, suicide, alcohol or substance use increases in some of them.
The physical symptoms are as follows; increased blood pressure and heart rate, muscle tension, chills, dilated pupils, paleness or redness of the skin, sweating, frequent trips to the toilet, retching, belching, vomiting, lump in the throat, air hunger, feeling dizzy, numbness and tingling, sleep disturbance.
What are the Treatment and Solutions?
The important point in anxiety treatment is how much it affects the child's life. Medication is appropriate for children with intense social withdrawal who are not prone to psychotherapy. However, the preferred approach is psychotherapy. The general approach to the treatment of anxiety disorders in children is cognitive behavioral therapies supported by psychodynamic theory and technique.
In cognitive and behavioral therapy, methods such as confrontation (exposure), probability management (changing pre- and post-anxiety events with reinforcement, extinction and similar approaches), relaxation techniques, modeling and role playing are used. Play therapies and drawing therapy techniques are especially useful for children who have been exposed to a traumatic event. Fear and understanding can be easily detected in the game themes. The game's different scenarios, written and played by the child, help reduce anxiety and help the therapist identify other fears and fantasies related to the event.
Can Anxiety Disorder Go Away on Its Own?
Since its impact on life is low-severity but long-term, families generally consider these experiences as a habit or temperament and do not seek a solution to the anxiety. a in children Anxiety symptoms may not be as obvious as in adults. Some anxiety symptoms seen in your children may be similar to those in adults, but they are not clearly defined. If anxiety symptoms in children are not diagnosed in time and the necessary treatment process is not initiated, the symptoms may become chronic and become a disease later in their lives. Therefore, instead of waiting for it to go away on its own, it would be beneficial to get support from a specialist in time to help the child have healthier attitudes and behaviors in the future.
How Should the Parents' Attitude to the Child Be in This Process?
The duties of parents in coping with the child's anxiety begin in infancy. The first sign of anxiety after birth is that a healthy newborn baby does not want to go to people other than the mother and expresses this by crying. It is very normal for this to happen. These initial concerns are based on bodily needs such as hunger, sucking, distress, physical contact and cuddling.
Every baby's irritation threshold and relaxation time are different. If the mother can cope with this and comfort her baby, the baby's anxiety level will also decrease. It is very important for the mother to be sensitive and helpful in the first years of children's lives. During this period, the child wants both support from the mother and independence. This internal conflict experienced by the child creates anxiety in the child.
When the child needs something, he sends signals to the mother, such as crying. For example, a child cries when he is hungry. The mother comes and feeds him. When the mother who receives this signal helps the child sensitively, this makes it easier for the child to cope with his anxiety.
With the help of the mother, the child develops his own emotional relationships and self-concept. This affects his entire social life. When sensitive help arrives within a reasonable time, he internalizes this relationship and carries the same into his social life. In this way, the child sees himself as valuable and deserving of good care. He learns to trust himself and others. A child who is accepted by his mother in the first years of his life and whose needs are met believes that other people will also value him. Bo Thus, he learns to establish a trusting relationship with people. The child's self-confidence and verbal communication improve. On the contrary, the child loses confidence in himself and others. He becomes an aggressive and angry child. In this case, the person who takes care of the child is not the person who protects and comforts him, but the person who causes anxiety.
Anxiety disorders can cause children's self-perception to decrease, they become introverted, excluded from their circle of friends, and their academic success decreases. Parents who encounter such a situation sometimes do not know what to do and exhibit some wrong attitudes. For example, exposing the child to the object or situation he fears in a defenseless way, punishing, threatening, condemning, making fun, etc. they behave. Instead, observe your child. Don't expect things from him that he can't do. This situation increases his anxiety. Support your child when he cannot do it and encourage him to try again. Praise him when he succeeds.
For young children, losing their parents and their love can cause anxiety in them; Because children in this period have limited cognitive capacities, they generalize this as a result of any disagreement or argument and think that they will never love them again.
When raising your child, try to raise him/her with a sense of love and trust, not with anxious thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. Instead of parental attitudes that will increase anxiety, tolerant and consistent attitudes should be displayed. Remember that anxiety is an emotion that sticks to the child's body through the eyes of the parents.
The feeling of trust that parents give to their children and the honors that increase their children's self-confidence will help experts in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Likewise, considering that the child's anxiety will affect his performance at school, family-school-specialist cooperation is necessary in treatment.
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