Stress in childhood

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Childhood stress can be caused by any situation that requires a person to adapt or change. The situation often produces anxiety. Stress may be caused by positive changes, such as starting a new activity, but it is most commonly linked with negative changes such as illness or death in the family.

Fear in children; Anxiety in children; Childhood stress

Stress is a response to any situation or factor that creates a negative emotional or physical change or both. People of all ages can experience stress. In small quantities, stress is good -- it can motivate you and help you be more productive. However, excessive stress can interfere with life, activities, and health. Stress can affect the way people think, act, and feel.

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Children learn how to respond to stress by what they have seen and experienced in the past. Most stresses experienced by children may seem insignificant to adults, but because children have few previous experiences from which to learn, even situations that require small changes can have enormous impacts on a child's feelings of safety and security.

Pain, injury, and illness are major stressors for children. Medical treatments produce even greater stress. Recognition of parental stress (such as that seen in divorce or financial crisis) is a severe stressor for children, as is death or loss of a loved one.

SIGNS OF UNRESOLVED STRESS IN CHILDREN

Children may not recognize that they are stressed. Parents may suspect that the child is excessively stressed if the child has experienced a potentially stressful situation and begins to have symptoms such as:

• Physical symptoms
  • Decreased appetite, other changes in eating habits
  • Headache
  • New or recurrent bedwetting
  • Nightmares
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Stuttering
  • Upset stomach or vague stomach pain
  • Other physical symptoms with no physical illness
• Emotional or behavioral symptoms
  • Anxiety
  • Worries
  • Inability to relax
  • New or recurring fears (fear of the dark, fear of being alone, fear of strangers)
  • Clinging, unwilling to let you out of sight
  • Questioning (may or may not ask questions)
  • Anger
  • Crying
  • Whining
  • Inability to control emotions
  • Aggressive behavior
  • Stubborn behavior
  • Regression to behaviors that are typical of an earlier developmental stage
  • Unwillingness to participate in family or school activities