Children and Anxiety

Significant anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are arguably the most common mental health problem for children and adolescents. The causes of these problems has been a major source of study. One of the most common views is that there is some interaction between biological (e.g. genetics) and environmental factors (e.g. family life), but researchers are beginning to discover the variety of routes to anxiety disorders for young people. The following is a brief overview of the primary factors associated with childhood anxiety disorders.

Risk Factors

There are a variety of factors associated with childhood anxiety, one of the most obvious being some form of genetic predisposition. Second, shyness and inhibition have been linked to the development of anxiety disorders. Next, difficulty regulating emotions (ability to control and cope with emotions) is linked to anxiety disorder diagnosis. Fourth, people who do not develop a secure attachment with their primary caregiver are more prone to anxiety problems. Additionally, primary caregivers experiencing depression, anxiety, or substance abuse problems are more likely to have anxious children. Sixth, children experiencing some form of abuse, neglect, or trauma often have higher levels of anxiety. Finally, parental “over-control”, which is characterized by intrusive or excessive control over the child’s activities, can have detrimental effects.

What Now

Ideally this article can help people explain either some of their own development of GAD or another anxiety disorder, or help understand some of the factors that may be causing a child to experience significant anxiety. Child psychologists and other treatment professionals specialize in identifying these factors and help the child cope with some of these things more effectively to hopefully reduce the problems as the child matures. If you are a primary caregiver with an anxious child, it may also be beneficial for you to get some form of treatment to try and understand if there are other things that can be done within the family to minimize these risks. Click here for more on Treatment Options for GAD.

_{Fend et al (2008). Journal of Abnormal Psychology.}