Preview

Anxiety in Children

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1485 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Anxiety in Children
Child Anxiety Many people believe that the events which take place in ones childhood do not effect their adulthood, but scientific studies show that it actually does effect ones adulthood. I have been through certain situations in my life which have effected my ability to grow completely. These experiences define childhood anxiety. Childhood anxiety is panic attacks experienced by children due to various reasons. Other symptoms may include heart burns, cold sweats, and nightmares. For example, since I did not know how to deal with stress as a child, I was not able to make decisions on my own because of certain fears. If these anxiety attacks are not dealt with at an early age, they may result in further problems in the developmental process, potentially leading to death. Many would believe that childhood anxiety has very little effect in adulthood which is not true because unattended phobias or anxiety illnesses can have a dramatic effect on how a person functions in their later years. Some would argue that one is born with certain disorders, but anxiety develops in a child through the interaction they have with their family members or the community. According to “What about me? Siblings of Children with an Anxiety Disorder” families with children who already experience anxiety disorders are more likely to develop them. One should not get this confused with genetics. Genetics do not have effect on how much anxiety a person experiences, rather it depends on the environment and the people one is around. So if a person is around someone who experiences anxiety disorders, such as their sibling, then they have a greater chance of developing this disorder compared to the general population. According to the same article in the journal, children who have a greater relationship with their siblings and other direct family members tend to have better friendships, higher self-esteem, and lower levels of loneliness, depression, and delinquent behaviors.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    One biological explanation for OCD is the genetic explanation. The genetic explanation believes that all of our behaviour is inherited through our genes. This therefore means that we have a predisposition for OCD, which is inherited like any other genetic behaviour. If this were true, OCD is more likely to be prevalent in closely related family members as if one member of the family has OCD, then the likelihood of another individual in the family also having the disorder should be increased. Evidence for this comes from family studies. McKeon and Murray studied relatives by systematic examination and found that relatives of OCD sufferers were more likely to suffer themselves from anxiety disorders in general rather than the rest of the population, but most commonly OCD. This supports the genetic explanation as it shows inheritance of social anxieties, as those who suffer from OCD are more likely to be related to another sufferer. However, since they conducted a family study, we are not able to establish a cause and effect. Because the families studied all live in the same environment, we cannot know for certain whether socialisation has had an effect on OCD in families or whether it is purely biological.…

    • 728 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    These children are often referred to as clingy, shy, or distracted. They might suffer from chronic headaches and stomachaches. A child with an anxiety disorder might start avoiding certain places and activities that they were previously comfortable at or enjoyed. Increased heart and respiration rate is another common symptom in a child with an anxiety disorder that would be more difficult for a parent to notice. These children might also deal with sleep disturbances such as inability to fall asleep, waking throughout the night, or early waking. (Children and Teens | Anxiety and Depression Association of…

    • 3156 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Research focussing on genetic and environmental causes of anxiety have shown that there is a genetic contribution of approx 30% in childhood anxiety disorders. Also linking with biological influences, anxious children tend to be subdued, cautious, and tentative in temperament. Some also may have differences in certain parts of the brain that affect attention, concentration, and memory. Family environmental factors appear to play an important role, especially from overprotective mothers who model anxious behavior, and prevent exposure to stressful situations.…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anti-Anxiety Medication

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Anxiety disorders are, according to the journal, the most common type of psychiatric disorder diagnosed in children. Having a prevalence rate of 6 to 20%, and an average age of onset ranging from 6 to 21 years, anxiety disorders can wreak havoc on both the personal and social lives of children, adolescents, and adults; often leading to difficulties such as depression, substance abuse and dependence, and suicidal behavior.…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Studies have shown that there is a genetic component in persons who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders; however, research also strongly suggests that a person's environment, particularly a consistently stressful one, can influence his or her anxiety level in a negative way (Zinn et al., 1992).…

    • 1926 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Case Study Assigmnent

    • 1858 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Anxiety is define as a “vague uneasy feeling of discomfort or dread accompanied by an automatic response; the source is often nonspecific or unknown to the individual; a feeling of apprehension caused by anticipation of danger, it is a potential signal that warning of impending danger and enables the individual to take measures to deal with treat” (Taber’s, 1997). Anxiety disorders are classified as disorders such as panic disorders, agoraphobias, phobias, extreme avoidance of feared objects associated to distress or impairments. B. F. Skinner (1974) talking about this conditions state “It is often said that there is an intrapsychic life of the mind, totally independent of the physical world, in which memories evoke memories, ideas suggest ideas, and so on. Here are few examples of the intrapsychic life of motivation and emotion: Feelings of frustration produce a sense of powerlessness, or impotence, which in turn leads to apathy or to feelings of aggression.” In another words phobias are a product of anxiety in which are also a product of traumatic experiences that happen in many cases when where children. In the past twenty years Applied Behavioral Analysis is the science of human behavior and is best definition was given in 1968 by Baer, Wolf, & Risley: “Applied Behavior Analysis is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior.…

    • 1858 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Anxiety Disorder

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Anxiety disorder is a common disorder that affects any race, culture, gender, and age that has increase in the modern world. However, they are probably as old as mankind, since a panic attack is the way for the body to detect and prepare to "fight or flight” imminent danger (McNally, 1990). This disorder is very common in life, childhood, or adolescence throughout the experience of changes in the process of physiological, social, and emotional development. Interactions with people, situations, and lifespan in different ways can create or contribute to the development of anxiety disorders. There are different types of anxiety disorders that include panic, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, post-traumatic, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorders (McNally, 1990). These different disorders may be different but they share many of the same emotional and physical symptoms. The series of physical and cognitive symptoms that arise during a panic attack, involve symptoms of intense fear and anxiety. Generally these attacks occur suddenly and confusion almost instantaneous with any expectation of the person (McNally, 1990). For example phobia attacks are spontaneous, specific, and predisposed by situations. These symptoms appear spontaneous, without warning at any time or place. The symptoms of a panic attack is the most frightening thing that can happen without warning, and those who suffer cannot even try to rationalize or relate to a specific fear (McNally, 1990). The random nature of these attacks causes are often mistaken for heart attacks.…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Psy 305 Exam 2 Essay

    • 2321 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Co-morbidity Issues- If you have one anxiety disorder, it increases the risk for another. They run in families. People with anxiety disorders are more likely to be depressed but not vice versa.…

    • 2321 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cited: Adrian Angold, et al. "What Do Childhood Anxiety Disorders Predict?." Journal Of Child Psychology & Psychiatry 48.12 (2007): 1174-1183. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.…

    • 1230 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Age of Anxiety

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages

    During the last quarter of the 19th century the United States was transitioning into a new country with the rise of a second industrial revolution and the downfall of the nation’s economy. There was an extreme growth within the industrial empire along with the expansion of the railroad empire which took over millions of acres of land. An economic struggle began where the rich became richer and the poor were living in bad conditions. The novel “Gospel of Wealth” is written, where it states that people with money should share their proceeds of gains with the less fortunate. Failure begins to strike in industries taking a toll on the United States economy and leading the country into its first economic depression. The economic and industrial failures during Gilded Age are the beginning to the downfall of the United States, which is why I feel this period of time should be called the Age of Anxiety.…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    PTSD in Children

    • 740 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Imagine not having control of your emotions, at times feeling like you’re under attack. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents occurs as a result of a child’s exposure to 1 or more major traumatic events, whether from an objective event like a car crash or sports injury to trauma involving loved ones, such as domestic violence, abuse, or neglect. These factors and many other can lead to acting out in young children.…

    • 740 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In today’s world it appears that more children are being diagnosed as having an emotional/behavioral disorder (EBD). This disorder enables the children to adapt socially and academically. For some reason emotional disorder causes children to act irrational and their behavior seems almost uncontrollable. Most children who suffer from any characteristics associated with emotional behavior disorder, as described have a great hindrance in their educational performance to the point where they are classified for exceptional education services.…

    • 1757 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Big Sky Drive

    • 3834 Words
    • 16 Pages

    If a parent possesses the disorder, the child has the chance of also possessing it. If both parents possess the disorder, the child’s chances are greater. Bipolar disorder is also developed through anxiety. If a child experiences anxiety, he or she may develop bipolar disorder (NIMH, n. d.).…

    • 3834 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Associative Disorder

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The components of anxiety disorders are biological, emotional, cognitive and behavioral. The biological components include the way the autonomic system functions in individuals with anxiety, as well as other factors that may make an individual genetically predisposition to have an anxiety disorder. The biological perspective views the activation or stimulation of the nervous system and its excesses or deficiencies. (National Institutes of Health, 2010). The emotional components of anxiety disorder address those issues an individual has not dealt with or has repressed. Many psychologists think that early childhood experiences or traumas could cause an individual too much sadness and pain causing signs of anxiety to be exhibited later in life. There are a multitude of psychologists that believe latent issues can cause anxiety disorders. (Hansell & Damour, 2008). The cognitive component of anxiety disorders addresses the way an individual feels about him or herself. Anxiety can be caused by negative thought processes so a negative self image could lead to negative thoughts about other areas of an individual’s life as well. The behavioral component of anxiety…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although anxiety is mainly found in the age ranges of pubescent teens to the age of 44. There seem to be gender differences in the expression of anxiety. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is more likely to be found in male children and female teens. They are less likely to recognize their thoughts and behaviors as irrational. Disorders tend to occur with OCD and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) in prepubescent teens. Developed in early childhood many children tend to express themselves with anxiety by complaining of stomach or headaches. They are more likely to seek attention by being clingy, crying or having tantrums. Adolescents usually exhibit anxiety by becoming irritable or angry.…

    • 847 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays