Separation Anxiety Disorder
Basics
Description
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is defined as developmentally inappropriate fear and anxiety about being away from home and/or apart from the individuals to whom a child is most attached.
- This diagnosis should be distinguished from developmentally appropriate worries, fears, and responses to stressors.
Epidemiology
- Prevalence estimates range from 4% in children aged 7 to 9 years to 1.6% in adolescents.
- Prevalence is slightly higher in females than males.
- Symptoms tend to peak between 7 and 9 years of age, but the disorder can present at any age.
Etiology
Studies show that there are genetic and environmental precursors to the development of SAD:
- A temperament of behavioral inhibition in which a child tends to approach unfamiliar situations with distress, restraint, and avoidance has been shown to be associated with development of anxiety disorders.
- Low experience of control over the environment
- Early development of stranger anxiety
- Insecure attachment between parent and child
- Increased parental anxiety
- Parenting style of being excessively controlling and overprotective
- Exposure to negative life events or stressors
- Genetic predisposition with family history of anxiety or depression
Commonly Associated Conditions
Comorbid conditions are present in up to 80% of children with SAD, most commonly including the following:
- School refusal
- Depression
- Simple phobia
- Social phobia
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Agoraphobia
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Citation
Cabana, Michael D., editor. "Separation Anxiety Disorder." 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 8th ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2019. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617167/all/Separation_Anxiety_Disorder.
Separation Anxiety Disorder. In: Cabana MDM, ed. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2019. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617167/all/Separation_Anxiety_Disorder. Accessed October 11, 2024.
Separation Anxiety Disorder. (2019). In Cabana, M. D. (Ed.), 5-Minute Pediatric Consult (8th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617167/all/Separation_Anxiety_Disorder
Separation Anxiety Disorder [Internet]. In: Cabana MDM, editors. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2019. [cited 2024 October 11]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617167/all/Separation_Anxiety_Disorder.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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