Module 2 • Behaviour Problems 4.4 Anxiety, fears and phobias
It is very difficult to determine whether it is a developmental phase or something to be worried about. A child’s fears cannot be ignored. Educators and parents must see it as a normal aspect of the child and help the child to overcome it.
DEFINITION
anxiety fear or nervousness about what might happen
According to some theories, fears are learned. Research shows that girls show more fear (anxiety) than boys, because parents accept girls’ fears more gradually as boys. Poor children show more fears than children that come from more secure families. Environmental factors like TV also cause anxiety/fears.
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What is the difference between anxiety and phobia?
A phobia is a type of anxiety. It’s an irrational, unreasonable fear of an object or situation. Common phobias may be fear of heights, dark, fear of certain animals such as snakes or spiders, or fear of blood – some people get frightened of having their blood drawn when they go to see their doctor.
Many of us have these and often they originate in childhood. But they become a phobic disorder – or known as specific phobia – when that fear is so great that the worry about encountering a snake or a spider or a dark place makes our life miserable and makes us unable to function.
All humans experience anxiety; it serves as a means of protection and can often enhance our performance in stressful situations. Children who are able to experience the slight rush of anxiety that often occurs prior to a maths test or a big track race often can enhance their performance.
However, experiencing too much anxiety or general nervousness, at inappropriate times, can be extremely distressing and interfering.
What are fears and phobias? Children’s fears are often natural, and arise at specific times in their development. Children may develop fears from a traumatic experience (e.g. traumatic dog attack), but for some children there is no clear event that causes the fear to arise. Some children become fearful simply by watching another child acting scared. Some children may refuse to sleep alone due to fears of creatures in their closet, while other children report feeling afraid of the dark.
Children's fears are often associated with avoidance, discomfort, and physical complaints, such as a rapid heartbeat, stomach distress, sweaty palms, or trembling. Researchers have found certain fears arise at specific ages in all children, and these fears tend to disappear naturally with time, as the child grows older. When children’s fears persist beyond the age when they are appropriate, and begin to interfere with their daily functioning, they are called phobias. Typically, children who are experiencing a phobia should be referred for treatment by a psychologist.
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