What it is:
Childhood anxiety is a cognitive, emotional, and physiological experience that involves predicting or focusing on a possible negative outcome. Anxiety in kids may also include fears or worries about how a person behaved in a past situation (e.g., social anxiety) and what this might mean for them in the future. The experience of anxiety in children can include thoughts (e.g., “I can’t do this”), behaviors (e.g., avoidance, excessive reassurance seeking), and physiological arousal (e.g., racing heart rate, a panic attack).
Youth with anxiety often struggle with unfamiliar, unknown, uncertain or unplanned experiences and may adopt coping mechanisms that get in the way of their everyday lives. While most kids experience anxiety or related emotions (e.g., fear) in response to threatening or stressful situations, children that develop anxiety disorders tend to have a few things in common:
- Experiencing anxiety, worry, or fear more often or intensely than their peers
- A belief that they can’t tolerate the physical sensations associated with anxiety (e.g., heart racing, difficulty breathing, feeling dizzy)
- Attempts to avoid or reduce anxiety that actually make anxiety worse over time (e.g., avoiding stressful situations)
In children, anxiety often presents as unwillingness to be alone or away from caregivers, school or activity avoidance, repeatedly asking questions or seeking reassurance, requiring assistance with tasks in ways that are inconsistent with their developmental stage, or having considerable difficulty accepting changes in schedules, living arrangements, or expectations.
Some children with anxiety present looking more irritable or depressed than anxious, which can result in anxiety being missed as a concern. It is important to properly assess children displaying defiant, withdrawn, or highly agitated behavior for an underlying concern with anxiety.
Does This Sound Familiar?
- My child seems overwhelmed, stressed, or tense most of the time.
- My child gets overly anxious or nervous about daily activities.
- My child refuses to try new things.
- My child avoids or refuses to go to school.
- My child struggles with any unexpected changes to routine or schedule.
- My child complains about stomach aches, nausea, or headaches.
- My child is restless, irritable, or on edge.
- My child has difficulty concentrating, avoids tasks, or procrastinates a lot.
- My child has problems falling or staying asleep.
- I’m often surprised by things that seem to make my child angry or irritable.
- My child frequently seeks reassurance from parents or peers.
- My child has panic attacks or panic symptoms (e.g., difficulty breathing).
Associated Concerns:
Child anxiety and stress concerns often co-occur with symptoms of depression, insomnia or other sleep problems, and physical health concerns that can be exacerbated by anxiety (e.g., gastro-intestinal concerns, chronic pain conditions).
Caregivers of anxious youth often experience difficulties in parenting or communicating with their child and, at times, the youth's anxiety can be disruptive to overall family functioning.
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