Separation anxiety disorder primarily affects preadolescent children. In most ca

Question

Separation anxiety disorder primarily affects preadolescent children. In most cases, the condition is temporary. What environmental factors or events may lead to the development of separation fears in young children? Do you think that young children today are more likely to experience separation fears than previous generations (such as your grandparents), who were much less likely to be exposed to things like day care or parental divorce? Why or why not? After making your case, play the devil's advocate and argue against yourself There is some speculation today that separation anxiety affects young adults to a much greater extent than ever before. What might that look like for a 20-25 year old? What factors might contribute to separation anxiety in your (college) age group? Again, how do you think this might have been different for your parents or grandparents?

Explanation / Answer

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) Separation Anxiety Disorder – This is when an individual experiences anxiety at the time of removal from a familiar environment or people. An individual generally gets nervous, overwhelmed, afraid and even cranky within this unfamiliar situation. This mostly noticed in children and pre-adolescent stages.

Age – It is noticed that this disorder gradually declines with age. This is attributed to the fact that an adult would be independent and eventually gets used to unfamiliar situations. This is the factor that helps to wear out fears eventually. A pre-adolescent child is one who knows their parents and home well enough. These children are used to their familiar environment and are hence more likely to feel afraid and anxious in new situations. Furthermore, they are at the age where they still need their family members for emotional comfort and stability.

Argument: Kids today are acclimatised to separation – Given that the current divorce rate is higher than it was a couple of decades ago, most families these days have kids who are used to being separated from one parent at a time. Furthermore, families have become smaller and children tend not to be taken care of by their grandparents. These are children who are familiar with different daycare environments and different babysitters. This has made them emotionally tougher and is less likely to get anxious upon separation.

Rebuttal: Kids today are more sensitive to separation – Anxiety is not the only effect of separation. The anxiety in this disorder eventually wears off and what is left are subtle insecurities, lower confidence and other such emotional nuances that affect the child’s temperament in the long run. Furthermore, children tend to be sensitive to negative changes such as divorce or having both parents working very long hours. These situations may harden a child’s emotional outlook on a situation. Without prescribed therapy, this may cause an imbalance in the child’s personality and cognition.

20-25 – For this particular age group, separation anxiety may be caused by a departure from security. When a young adult is removed from secure situations and put into an uncertain situation, it would result in separation anxiety disorder. For instance, after a secure situation like the “college life,” it becomes emotionally difficult to enter an uncertain job market. The lack of financial security and decent prospects leads to depression and anxiety in many young adults.

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