What is the fear of children called? When fear is something more... Where do phobias come from in children?

A phobia is an obsessive fear that is irrational and greatly exaggerated and causes excessive anxiety in specific life situations. This is a specific anxiety disorder characteristic of children. of different ages. At the same time, the likelihood of these fears coming true is quite low, that is, children’s fears are meaningless and far-fetched. The difference between a phobia and ordinary fear is that when it is present, a grown-up child realizes the groundlessness, absurdity and illogicality of his fear, but at the same time, this understanding does not prompt him to stop being afraid. Severe phobias are observed in approximately 1% of children and adolescents, with girls talking about their worries somewhat more often.

Causes

A variety of fears are considered quite normal occurrence in a child's life. At certain age intervals, children tend to be afraid of specific things or circumstances:

in the first years, the baby is most afraid of getting lost, being left without his mother, he is afraid of strangers, doctors, sharp and loud sounds;
at the age of 2 to 5 years, children tend to show fear of certain animals, fairy-tale characters, darkness, loneliness;
in the primary school period, the fear of death arises, which gradually degenerates into a fear of war, disease, and natural disasters;
teenagers suffer from social fears (public speaking, loss of recognition, failure to meet expectations);
older schoolchildren experience increased teenage fears, to which is added fear intimate relationships.

Thus, in general, phobias can be divided into two main types:

children's - based on the feeling of being part outside world(fear of the dark, fictional characters);
adolescence - this period is characterized by thanatophobia (fear of death), phobias of space, disease, intimate phobia, and social fears.

When a child’s fear becomes too intrusive and prevents him from living fully and socializing in society, adapting to new environmental conditions, we can talk about the development of a childhood phobia. It can arise as a result of a fright that the child remembers well. In the future, if a similar situation is repeated or even at the thought of it, the child will experience severe discomfort and anxiety, and his behavior may differ markedly from usual.

Excessive fear arises as a response to the behavior of adults. For example, a restless and always worried mother transmits appropriate behavioral guidelines to her child.

Predisposing factors to the development of childhood phobias are:

psychological trauma (lack of attention, love or, conversely, overprotection);
individual characteristics of the child’s personality (suspiciousness, increased demands on oneself);
neurological problems; tense family situation (conflicts, criticism);
severe stressful situations.

Symptoms

Manifestations of childhood phobia include:

increased heart rate;
fainting; increased sweating;
weakness;
dizziness;
nausea, vomiting, stool disorders;
stupor, numbness;
lack of oxygen, breathing failure, throat spasm;
nervous tics, obsessive movements;
increased aggressiveness, motor disinhibition;
crying, whims, hysterics;
the desire to be as close as possible to a loved one.

These symptoms appear when the child encounters an object of fear or when he finds himself in a situation that he is most afraid of. He can experience his phobias even in his sleep.

Diagnosis of a phobia in a child

A child psychiatrist or psychologist can diagnose the presence of a phobia in a child. The doctor relies on the complaints of the little patient and his parents, collects anamnesis and draws up a general clinical picture of the disease. Sometimes obsessive fears are manifestations mental illness child (schizophrenia, for example). Therefore, a comprehensive study of the situation is required.

Complications

A long-lasting feeling of increased anxiety can worsen a child’s quality of life, negatively affect his health, and interfere with his adaptation to society. Some of the complex consequences of this condition are withdrawal, depression and social isolation.

Treatment

What can you do

If a child develops behavioral abnormalities and obsessive fears, you should seek advice from the appropriate children's specialist. Self-treatment childhood phobia is fraught with the development of psychological complications and problems with the child’s behavior, therefore clear indication V similar situation a visit to the doctor is recommended.

It is important to establish a friendly and psychologically comfortable environment in the family. It makes sense to refrain from conflict situations, scandals, and criticism of the child. It is advisable to support him, show sensitivity, support and love to him. Under the supervision of the attending physician and in accordance with his recommendations, parents can carry out informal therapeutic therapy at home. This will help the child look at his fear from a different perspective and find a way to cope with emotional stress in the event of a confrontation with the source of fear.

What does a doctor do

Cognitive techniques, working with related situations, as well as desensitization (a decrease in the susceptibility and degree of emotional response of the nervous system to a stimulus is much less pronounced) allow one to cope productively with childhood phobias.

Treatment for childhood phobia requires multiple visits to a doctor. The therapist helps the child rank his fears in order of increasing perceived danger and then teaches him to cope safely with stressful situations. Young children attend treatment sessions together with their parents.

Prevention

Trusting, friendly relationships between parents and children contribute to the establishment of a comfortable psychological climate within the family. Support for a child from parents in difficult, stressful situations helps him to more safely experience his fears and worries.

Following the instructions of the attending physician helps prevent the child’s phobia from worsening. Timely seeking help from a doctor makes it possible to gently and effectively get rid of childhood fears.

– pathological, excessively expressed reactions of fear that arise in anticipation or during direct exposure to a certain object or situation. They manifest themselves as increased anxiety, emotional stress, autonomic reactions (sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances, increased heart rate), and avoidant behavior. Diagnosis is carried out by conversation, clinical interview, and self-reports. The basis of treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, a method of systematic desensitization; in case of severe symptoms, antidepressants and tranquilizers are prescribed.

General information

Healthy children and adolescents experience fear. This emotion is a normal response to danger. The physiological mechanisms that form the basis of this condition mobilize the body to assess the situation and make a fight/flight decision. A phobia is different from normal fear expressed intensity, duration, inadequacy, intrusiveness. The child’s critical attitude to the experience, understanding of its illogicality, inexpediency, attempts to resist, and avoidance are typical. Severe phobias that limit behavior occur in approximately 1-1.5% of children and adolescents. The disorder is more often diagnosed in girls of preschool, junior school age. This is partly due to their greater openness and willingness to discuss their fears.

Causes of phobias in children and adolescents

Phobic disorders are formed on the basis of increased impressionability, suspiciousness, anxiety, and a tendency to fantasize. External factors I can be:

Ways of education. Phobias are provoked by a tough, directive attitude, overprotection, total control, and parental anxiety.
Demonstration of violence, intimidation. Pathological fears arise after watching movies and television programs replete with scenes of violence, murder, persecution, and terror.
Great fright. Persistent phobias develop after a single intense fright: an attack by street dogs, a fire, a fall from a height.
Mental illness. Phobias are a component of obsessive-compulsive neurosis, schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety disorder.

Pathogenesis

According to cognitive theory, inadequate fears appear due to the inability to correctly perceive and process information. The assessment of the situation is distorted; insignificant, non-threatening stimuli provoke panic and a desire to escape. Greatest distortion thought processes determined in psychosis - the content base becomes delusional ideas and hallucinations. More adequate fears are formed with pronounced psychological traits, character accentuations, and reactive neuroses. The risk group consists of anxious, suspicious, suggestible, impressionable children. The behavioral concept views fear as a conditioned reflex reaction with an undying response to a stimulus. The triggering mechanism is external conditions– a stressful situation with fear, high parental anxiety, destructive parenting style.

Classification

The most significant from a practical point of view is the division of obsessive fears according to the degree of severity - changes in the emotional, somatic state, and the level of social maladjustment are assessed. Severe forms are characterized by panic, a state of horror, motor agitation, retardation, disturbances in the rhythm of breathing, heartbeat, and avoidance of situations where a stimulus may appear. In mild forms, phobias are partially controlled, there are no external emotional or vegetative changes, behavioral restrictions are compensated for (by the choice of route, ways of spending time). The domestic psychiatrist A. Karvasarsky proposed a classification of fears according to the plot - content. The following types of phobias are distinguished:

Fear of space. Represented by fear of closed space (claustrophobia), open space (agoraphobia), depth, heights.
Social phobias. The basis is fear of the reaction of others. Included are fears of blushing, speaking in public, and being the first to speak.
Nosophobia. This group constitute various fears of diseases.
Fear of death. Thanatophobia develops in situations perceived as life-threatening. Fear of certain animals and imaginary creatures is often a fear of death.
Sexual fears. They are actualized in adolescents and young people, including fear of intimate contact, romantic behavior, and the consequences of masturbation.
Fear of damage. Represented by concerns about possible self-harm and harm to others.
Contrasting fears. Fear of committing an indecent, obscene act.
Phobophobia. They develop secondary to attacks of fear as a fear of their repetition.

Symptoms of phobias in children and adolescents

For children early age obsessive fears are unusual, since there is no critical thinking that allows one to assess one’s own condition, identify the presence of phobias, and begin confrontation. In preschoolers, fears dominate and determine the direction of emotions, behavior, and development. mental functions. Schoolchildren are able to understand the inadequacy and absurdity of existing fears and make attempts to fight. From the age of 5-8 years we talk about true phobias. Symptoms develop in situations with a certain degree of likelihood of exposure to a frightening stimulus. The more severe the disorder, the lower the risk required to develop symptoms.

The phobia manifests itself at the level of emotions, autonomic reactions, and behavior. Emotional sphere characterized by tension, anxiety, fear. Younger children cry, scream, run away, and seek help from adults. Schoolchildren and teenagers, trying to resist fear, find a logical justification for avoiding the situation, restraining the manifestations of fear and anxiety. Vegetative changes differ in combination and degree of severity. Characterized by dizziness, nausea, increased heart rate, increased sweating, weakness, numbness or motor disinhibition, and a feeling of lack of oxygen. The experience of fear occurs in a dream and is accompanied by insomnia.

The earliest phobias of preschoolers are fears of animals (dogs, horses, wolves), non-existent characters (Koshchei, zombies, moving skeletons). Often they expand and become a fear of darkness, silence, and loneliness. Younger schoolchildren begin to experience thanatophobia; often a vague fear of death takes on the concrete form of fear of war, serious illness, natural disaster, or criminal attack. Social phobias associated with loss of position in a significant group predominate among adolescents. By the end of adolescence, obsessive fears of intimate relationships are added.

Complications

The main complications of phobias are emotional disturbances, social maladjustment. As the obsessive fear progresses, the restrictive behavior spreads to cover a wide range of familiar situations. In an effort to maintain a comfortable state, the child (teenager) reduces and “simplified” everyday activities: refuses to walk in the park, streets with active movement, does not show initiative to communicate with peers or participate in school events. In severe cases, the space is limited to the child's room and the constant presence of the parent is required. Concomitant emotional disorders include depression and anxiety.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of phobias requires the establishment of full-fledged trusting contact between the doctor and the child. Children and teenagers with obsessive fears tend to experience embarrassment, shyness, and avoid showing emotions in front of strangers. The examination is carried out by a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, psychologist. It includes:

Interview, conversation. The psychiatrist asks about existing symptoms, their duration, severity, impact on everyday events. When conducting a clinical conversation, the doctor formulates questions, taking into account the patient’s previous answers. The absence of rigid boundaries promotes more open contact. A diagnostic interview reveals signs of phobias as defined by the official classification of diseases. The structuring of questions allows you to obtain more objective information.
Self-report methods. A psychologist and psychotherapist use various scales that allow them to rank fears, determine the dominant ones, and establish the degree of anxiety and fear. Situation maps are used to identify stimuli and their intensity. Additionally, drawing tests with a detailed survey (“house-tree-person”, “non-existent animal”), methods of interpreting life situations (PAT, TAT, Rosenzweig test) are used. The questions are formulated as specifically and simply as possible. This allows you to reduce the level of emotional tension in the child caused by the examination situation.
Questionnaires for parents. The accompanying parent is offered questionnaires reflecting the characteristics of the child’s emotional reactions, behavior, and well-being. The most common use of rating scales is the Children's Behavioral Inventory and the Louisville Children's Fear Questionnaire. The results are processed using the method of factor analysis, the final data allows us to assess the child’s social competence, behavioral problems, and emotional deviations.

In the presence of dominant fear, differential diagnosis is not difficult. Often, phobias are a component of broader mental disorders: neuroses, schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis.

Treatment of phobias in children and adolescents

Treatment is based on the use of behavioral therapy techniques. Young children come with their mother and father, who act as co-psychotherapists. This accelerates the positive dynamics - the child feels calmer, more confident, and the parent applies elements of therapy at home. A common method of psychotherapy is systematic desensitization, developed by J. Wolpe. It is based on the theory of I.P. Pavlov, which explains pathological fear as an undying reflex to a stimulus. The reaction does not disappear, but is repeated again because the patient avoids the threatening factor. To achieve the extinction of a reflexive conditioning (phobia), constant gradual exposure to a stimulus is necessary. The therapeutic process consists of several stages:

Cognitive processing. The psychotherapist uses logical arguments, rational explanations of the causes of fear. Corrects irrational ideas about a threatening stimulus. Motivates and encourages the patient to discuss their emotional state.
Relaxation training. Important characteristic fear - uncontrollability. Through breathing techniques and muscle relaxation, the psychotherapist teaches the child to manage his physical and emotional state. The ability to relax and concentrate increases confidence and builds readiness to work with a phobia.
"Convergence" The patient and the psychotherapist select several homogeneous, but different in intensity stimuli (situations). They are ranked from less frightening to those that provoke panic and the desire to run away. The process of “bringing together” begins with a weak stimulus, while relaxation and cognitive processing techniques are used in parallel. Gradually the fear fades away. At the final stage, the child ceases to be afraid of situations with an intense stimulus.

Severe emotional disorders (panic attacks, anxiety, depression) are corrected with medication. The psychiatrist selects antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.

Prognosis and prevention

The prognosis of phobias in children depends on the duration of their course, the severity of symptoms, and the presence of concomitant diseases. The likelihood of recovery is high if fears have developed on the basis of emotional and personal traits, and not pathological mental processes. Preventive measures are based on the adequate attitude of close relatives to the child’s fears. It is important to recognize the reality of fear, to exclude neglect and devaluation of the child’s experiences. It is necessary to discuss the problem in a calm atmosphere, without shaming you for cowardice. In a situation where it is possible to meet a stimulus, you need to support the child and express confidence in his courage. It is worth applying the principle of systematic desensitization - gradually accustoming to the object (situation).

Phobias in children: treatment anxiety disorders in patients of school and preschool age

Almost all children of school and preschool age, teenagers experience some kind of fears and anxieties. The appearance of fear in an extreme situation is a normal physiological reaction designed to mobilize the body's resources. Thanks to the emergence of fear when danger exists, a person is able to instantly pull himself together and make a decision about his further behavior.

However, in some children, as in adults, fear arises for no reason and constantly overcomes. The presence of illogical, uncontrollable, obsessive anxiety in a person, which causes significant psychological discomfort and prevents full interaction in society, gives reason to assume the development of an anxiety-phobic disorder, colloquially called a phobia.

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Phobic fear has obvious differences from a normal physiological reaction. Phobias are characterized by the intensity of experiences, the duration of painful sensations, the inadequacy of emotions in the existing situation, and the obsession with thinking about the object of anxiety.

With the development of an anxiety-phobic disorder, fear occurs not only during direct contact with a frightening object or when being in a frightening situation. If a person is obsessed with a phobia, his anxiety is groundless, persistent, and constant. He loses the ability to control and manage his emotional state.

It should be pointed out that children, like adults, understand the absurdity of their experiences. They are critical of their condition and realize the inappropriateness of their behavior. People often make significant efforts to get rid of destructive emotions. However, a phobia is insidious in that it deprives a person of the opportunity to think adequately and does not allow him to be the master of his inner world.

Phobias in children: features of disorders in childhood

When a phobia occurs, preschoolers, schoolchildren, and adolescents experience an irrational, obsessive fear of a huge number of different objects, phenomena, problems and situations. Very often, pathological fear is completely unrelated to real-life circumstances. Objects that frighten a child are often created by his imagination and exist in a fictional world. At the same time, symptoms make themselves felt when circumstances arise that have minimal similarity to situations created by fantasy.

Children suffering from phobias are held captive by their destructive experiences almost constantly., losing psychological comfort in daytime hours and not being able to rest peacefully and fully at night. Once caught in the network of an anxiety-phobic disorder, a child or teenager begins to use a defensive model of action - avoidance behavior.

Children dependent on phobias deliberately limit themselves from being in places where, in their opinion, there is a possibility of encountering a frightening object. Such guys deliberately refuse to perform actions that could potentially provoke an attack panic fear

. Children who are dependent on phobias cannot reveal their creative potential and are not able to fully assimilate educational material. They experience obvious difficulties in establishing new contacts and cannot maintain normal relationships with peers. Overwhelming fear forces them to give up exciting activities, not allowing them to fully devote themselves to their favorite activity.

In childhood, phobias that require emergency treatment are recorded very often. Moreover, each age has its own specific fears and anxieties. As clinical practice shows, children aged two to four years are characterized by a fear of animals. Children of preschool age are most often afraid of being left alone and do not dare to be alone in dark rooms. Also, for the age range from four to seven years, phobias associated with mysticism are characteristic. Children at this age are very afraid of the influence of evil spirits and are afraid of creatures created by their own imagination. Social phobias are common among school-age children.

: They experience panicky fear of speaking in public. They may be terrified of teachers and experience uncontrollable anxiety before upcoming exams. Some schoolchildren suffer from phobias, the essence of which is the inability to make new acquaintances. Adolescents often experience a total fear of death and related disorders

, for example, fear of contracting an incurable disease or fear of becoming an accidental victim of violence. Some teenagers develop irrational anxiety associated with anticipation of the outbreak of hostilities or aimed at potential natural disasters. It must be pointed out that phobias with severe course

Most often, female patients come to medical institutions. This can be explained by the fact that girls and young women, unlike boys and young men, are more open people and are ready to openly express their feelings out loud.

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Phobias in children: causes

The foundation for the formation of phobias is a specific characterological portrait of a small personality. The vast majority of children who have been diagnosed with anxiety-phobic disorder are characterized by increased impressionability, vulnerability, suspiciousness, and suspicion. Such guys are restless and anxious. They tend to focus excessively on their experiences and think for a long time about the event that happened. These guys are distinguished by their wild imagination and often have extraordinary creative abilities.

The reasons that triggered the onset of disorders in children may be:

unfavorable atmosphere in the family, quarrels and scandals between parents;
growing up in an asocial family surrounded by drinkers or immoral people;
family breakdown or death of a close relative;
experienced physical or mental violence;
tough, directive parenting style;
total control by parents;
excessive demands on the child, criticality, rejection of the characteristics of his personality;
excessive adult care, the inability of a child or teenager to carry out independent actions;
“pendulum-shaped” style of education – the use of “carrot and stick”, radically different demands from mother and father, the essence of which is not understood by the child;
change in usual living conditions - moving to another city, changing place of study;
overload of negative information, regular viewing of programs with scenes of violence, hobby computer games aggressive orientation;
the fear experienced when a little person became an accidental witness to some tragedy;
excessive anxiety of parents, inability of adults to control their emotions.

Phobias in children: symptoms

Anxiety-phobic disorders in children, as in adults, are manifested by a variety of symptoms, which can be roughly divided into the following categories:

physiological manifestations of fear;
psycho-emotional disorders;
behavioral changes.

Physiological symptoms

Somatic manifestations of phobias include various problems of the digestive tract. The baby complains of abdominal pain. Dyspeptic disorders may appear. Children report dry mouth and unquenchable thirst.

Children with the disorder also experience a variety of respiratory symptoms. The guys complain about the inability to take a full breath. Babies often experience rapid breathing. Shortness of breath may occur in the absence of physical activity.

Common symptoms of phobias: various malfunctions of the cardiovascular system. The child has an unstable pulse and rapid heartbeat. He may complain about painful sensations in the area of the heart. Some guys indicate that they experience pressing, squeezing sensations in this area.

Some guys have increased urge to urinate. Patients often report that they experience tinnitus and floaters appearing before their eyes. Very often, patients with anxiety-phobic disorders experience compressive sensations in the cranial area. This type of headache is commonly called “neurasthenic helmet.”

Psycho-emotional disorders

A common symptom recorded in children is a premonition of an imminent catastrophe. Children and teenagers constantly feel nervous tension. They can't relax.

Significant problems with concentration are recorded, which is why the child cannot learn new educational material.

Due to insufficient concentration of attention, the mnestic function deteriorates: the student has difficulty reproducing previously well-known material. Some children report that there is a “vacuum” in their head and a lack of thoughts. Suffering from phobias emotional status of the child: his mood often changes.

In the moment when fear is released, he can be cheerful, and in the next moment, when anxiety reappears, the baby can start crying.

Behavioral changes One of the leading symptoms of phobias is disturbance of sleep patterns and quality.

In the evening, the child cannot fall asleep for a long time. The baby often wakes up at night. His dreams are nightmarish dreams whose characters are objects of fear. In the morning the child feels overwhelmed. There is drowsiness during the daytime. Another sign of phobias is changing eating habits.

Some babies lose their appetite and refuse to eat. Other guys, on the contrary, begin to eat very often, consuming food in excessively large portions, while constantly feeling hungry. Children suffering from anxiety-phobic disorders are characterized by conflict and intransigence. They are hostile and aggressive towards their peers. They are distrustful of educators and teachers.

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Phobias: treatment methods

Treatment of phobias in children occurs using integrated approach, including drug treatment, psychotherapeutic correction and hypnosis.

Since any pharmacological drugs have wide range side effects, and some medications are completely prohibited for use in pediatric patients; drug treatment of disorders is carried out only in extremely severe cases. At the same time, doctors try to select herbal preparations for the patient.

The basis for the treatment of phobias in children is psychotherapeutic techniques. Psychotherapy techniques are aimed at reducing the symptoms of pathological fear. With the help of psychotherapy, it is possible to teach a child adequate ways to respond when faced with an object of anxiety. During psychotherapy sessions, the patient masters methods of relaxation and removal muscle tension. The child will learn what options exist for resolving conflict situations. He acquires knowledge thanks to which he manages to establish normal relationships with other people.

Psychotherapeutic treatment allows you to identify dominant destructive thoughts and change them to positive thoughts. During sessions, the child realizes and changes false, externally inspired beliefs.

However, psychotherapy is not able to completely rid children of phobias, since the effect provided eliminates only the rational components of fear. In order to free a child from irrational anxiety once and for all, it is necessary to establish and subsequently eradicate the cause of panic fear. This opportunity is provided only by treatment using hypnosis.

Hypnosuggestive treatment involves introducing the patient into a state of hypnotic trance, in which the censorship of consciousness is temporarily removed and access to the subconscious is opened, where all information about a person’s personal history is stored. When treated with hypnosis, the child seems to return to his past and relive the traumatic situation. However, this happens in a comfortable environment without causing mental trauma.

Thanks to this, the child interprets the drama differently and ceases to feel irrational fear.

Hypnosis treatment not only helps to identify and eliminate the cause of the phobia. Hypnotherapy gives an impetus to discover a person’s abilities and motivates him to develop his personality. After hypnosis therapy, the child is completely freed from phobias, becoming a person independent of fears and anxieties. All people, from children to adults, periodically experience anxiety and fear. The feeling of anxiety, especially if it happens at the wrong time, cannot be called a pleasant feeling. But such sensations are not only normal for children, but also necessary. Experiencing worries and concerns prepares children for adult life

, teaches how to cope with difficulties in difficult life situations.

Most worries and fears are normal. Anxiety can be defined as “premonition without apparent reason

" This usually occurs when there is no immediate threat to the child's safety or well-being, but the child still feels the threat is real.

Anxiety forces the child to try to avoid an unpleasant situation as quickly as possible. The heartbeat accelerates, sweating may increase, and an unpleasant feeling in the stomach “sucks in the pit of the stomach” appears. However, in reasonable doses, anxiety helps a person remain alert, alert, and focused.

Having fear and anxiety about certain things can also be helpful because it forces children to behave appropriately and think about their safety. For example, fear of fire does not allow a child to play with matches or a lighter.

The nature of anxieties and fears changes as children grow and develop:
Very young children experience anxiety at the sight of strangers, clinging to their parents when they have to encounter people they see for the first time.
Children between the ages of 4 and 6 tend to worry about unreal things such as monsters and ghosts.
Older children aged 7 to 12 often also have fears that reflect reality, such as fears of bodily harm and natural disasters.

As children grow, one fear disappears or is replaced by another. For example, a child who couldn't sleep with the lights off as a toddler can, after just a couple of years, comfortably entertain friends with ghost stories.

Some fears only apply to something specific. In other words, a child can calmly pet a lion at the zoo, but is terrified of the neighbor's dog.

Signs of anxiety

Typical childhood fears change with age. These include fears of strangers, heights, the dark, animals, blood, insects, or fear of being left without parents. Children often become afraid of a certain object or situation after they acquire a negative one, such as a dog bite or a car accident.

The fear of being left alone is a common and frequent occurrence, especially when starting kindergarten and school. Teenagers may experience anxiety related to acceptance in a group or academic performance.

If anxious feelings persist and do not go away, they can negatively affect the child's sense of well-being. Anxiety associated with adaptation in a team leads to long-term consequences. For example, children who fear rejection may never learn necessary and important social skills, which subsequently leads to their social isolation.

Many “adult” fears originate in deep childhood and are a consequence of childhood experiences. For example, fear public speaking may be the result of embarrassment in front of peers, which was experienced during school years.

It is important for parents to recognize and identify the signs and symptoms of anxiety in their children so that they can take timely action and not allow fears to interfere with their children's Everyday life.

Some signs that your child is worried about something may include:

excessive “stickiness” to parents, impulsiveness, constant bad mood
nervous movements similar to a nervous tic
trouble falling asleep or sleeping too much
sweaty palms
increased heart rate and breathing
nausea
headache
stomach ache

In addition to these signs, parents typically report that their child is overly anxious and thoughtful. Listening carefully to the child, having a frank, emotional conversation with him, and sometimes simply having an abstract conversation about what his fears or concerns are, can help the child get rid of unpleasant feelings.

What is a phobia?

When anxieties and fears persist for a long time, this is already a problem. Many parents hope that the child will “outgrow” it, but very often the opposite happens and the anxiety becomes more pervasive and intense. Anxiety passes from a periodic state to a constant one and, thus, develops into a persistent and severe fear - a phobia, and this is already an extreme.

A phobia is very difficult to tolerate, both for children themselves and for those around them, especially if the stimulus (that which causes anxiety) cannot be avoided (for example, a thunderstorm).

“Real” phobias—fears associated with events and objects that actually exist—are one of the main causes of mental health problems in children. But things are not always so bad. If the phobia does not interfere with everyday life, the child may not need treatment, because phobias of this kind are likely to go away as they grow older or can be overcome by the child himself when he becomes an adult.

Recognizing Anxiety, Fear and Phobia

Try to answer honestly next questions:

Is the child's fear typical of children his age?

If the answer to this question is “Yes,” there is a chance that your child's fears will pass before they become a serious cause for concern. This does not mean that anxiety should be discounted or ignored, but rather that it should be seen as a factor in normal development.

Many children experience age-appropriate fears, such as fear of the dark. For most children, leaving a night light on is fine. sufficient measure to overcome such fear, and then outgrow it. However, if problems persist or worsen, your intervention will need to be more intense.

What are the symptoms of fear, and how do they affect your child's personal and social life?

If symptoms are identified early and considered in light of the child's daily activities, appropriate adjustments and adjustments (conversation, open conversation, etc.) can be made to alleviate some of the stressors.

Is the fear unreasonable in relation to the actual situation?

If a child's fear seems out of proportion to the cause of the stress, this may signal the need to seek outside help, such as a counselor, psychiatrist, or psychologist.

Parents should look for a pattern in children's fears and worries so as not to make a mistake and present a single episode as more significant than it actually is. But if a pattern is found, the fear is constant and progressive, it is necessary to take appropriate measures. If you don't, the phobia will likely continue to affect your child later in life.

Contact a psychiatrist or professional psychologist who has experience working with children and adolescents.

How to help your child

Parents can help children develop the skills and confidence to overcome fear and thus prevent it from developing into a phobia.

To help your child cope with fears and anxieties, it is recommended to do the following:

Recognize that the fear is real. No matter how insignificant and trivial a childhood fear may seem to you, for your child it is very real. If you can talk to your child about fears, this will allow the words to “take over” some of the negative emotions. If you talk about it, the power of worry inevitably weakens.
Never minimize fear as a way to get your child to overcome it. Statement - “Nonsense! There are no monsters in your closet!” may force the child to go to the bedroom and lie down in bed, but this will not relieve him of his fear.
However, fears should not be satisfied. If a child is afraid of dogs, there is no need to cross to the other side of the street to avoid meeting the animal. This will only strengthen the belief that dogs should be feared and avoided. It is better to provide support, show care and tenderness as you approach the object of fear or as a “terrible” situation occurs.
Teach children to evaluate their fear. Older children who are already able to visualize can be asked to rate their fear on a ten-point scale, where 1 is the weakest fear and 10 is the strongest. This will allow your child to “see” the fear as less intense than it appears to be. Younger children can be asked to measure fear by the fullness of their body, for example, “fear filled me to the knees,” “to the throat,” “to the waist,” or “to the top of the head.”
Teach your child strategies for overcoming fear. Try the easiest to implement methods. Let your child use you as a “home.” For example, after taking two steps into a dark room, approaching the dog one or two steps closer than he usually does, or going to the window during a thunderstorm, let the child quickly return to the “house” before he dares to repeat his bold behavior. act a second time. He can also learn some self-hypnosis and self-affirmation techniques, such as “I can do this!” or “I'll be fine!”, which he will use and tell himself when feeling anxious. Relaxation techniques will also be helpful, including visualization techniques (flying on a cloud, lying on the beach), and deep breathing (imagining that one is a light ball floating in the sky and slowly releasing air to land).

In any case, the key to freeing a child from fears and anxieties is to help them overcome them. Using the simplest methods given in this article, you can help your child overcome their worries, fears and anxieties, and also teach them to better cope with difficult situations. life situations.

2012-09-16

This article will talk about phobias. Every parent is familiar with various manifestations of fears in their children. The question is, why do people need them?

The meaning of fear

To begin with, let us note that fear is the same integral emotional manifestation of our mental life, like joy, anger, surprise, admiration, sadness, etc. It has a protective function for survival. Fear is based on the instinct of self-preservation, it arises in response to a threat. Agree, if we were not afraid, for example, of heights, we could calmly walk along the edge of a high roof, and it is unknown what this could lead to (although in life, as in the rules, there are exceptions). Each period of child development has its own age-related fears.

In addition, I would like to point out that, as the candidate noted, medical sciences, Doctor of Psychology, Professor of the Department psychological assistance A.I. Zakharov, in addition to ordinary fears, so-called inspired fears are much more common. Their source is the adults around the child (parents, grandmothers, teachers, etc.), who involuntarily infect the child with fear, persistently and emphatically emotionally pointing out the presence of danger. As a result, the child actually perceives only the second part of phrases like: “Don’t come close - you’ll fall”, “Don’t take it - you’ll get burned”, “Don’t pet it - it will bite.” To a small child It is not yet clear what the threat is, but he already recognizes the alarm signal, and, naturally, he has a fear reaction as a regulator of his behavior.

Of course, children should be protected from dangers, but simply intimidating is always easier and faster, and then (almost immediately, in a month, a year, etc.) we may encounter other, more complex problems: lack of self-confidence, fear of change, fear of communicating with strangers. In my opinion, everything is useful in moderation. Somewhere you can say “be careful” and explain why, somewhere you can say “be careful” (and indicate what to pay attention to, it’s better to say and show), sometimes just “quietly” (again explain why).

Age 0-1 year

Anxieties, fears, and stress experienced by a woman during pregnancy are the first “experience” of anxiety for the child. This is expressed in his rapid heartbeat and corresponding motor reactions. This is understandable if we remember that mother and child during pregnancy are one. In psychology, there are also cases where, after asphyxia (suffocation) of a fetus, an adult is subsequently afraid to wear scarves, but this is already a topic of phobia.

In the first year of life, in addition to care and nutrition, the child needs emotional contact from the mother. The very birth of a child is already stressful situation. Agree, for nine months he lived in warmth, satiety and symbiosis with his mother, and after giving birth there is a sharp “climate change”: dry, cold, separate from the woman who gave life. Only closer to the age of one year does the child experience an emotional separation from his mother. And mothers, even after a year, answer any question regarding the child with the pronoun “we”: “WE are turning …”, “WE are now eating porridge”, “WE got up early today”, etc.

Many parents have noticed that a child at this stage of life could burst into tears in his sleep for no apparent reason. These are the consequences of birth fears, as well as anxiety associated with getting used to a new environment.

According to A.I. Zakharov, anxiety in the absence of the mother becomes clearly expressed at seven months, and fear of strangers at eight months, which indicates the presence of emotional contact with the mother and the ability to distinguish her from others. Over time, this anxiety decreases, and the fear of strangers practically ceases.

Age 1-3 years

At this age, intelligence and thinking are intensively developed. By the age of two, the child becomes aware of his own personality, his “I.” The age of two to three years is called the age of stubbornness. In fact, during this period the development of strong-willed qualities, determination and confidence occurs. If we constantly “fight” with a child, limit his independence and protect him from the slightest trivial “dangers,” then in the future we will get an insecure, fearful person.

As a child grows up and becomes familiar with fairy tales, both new knowledge and new sources of fear appear in a child’s life. Some parents zealously scare their children not only with big angry and biting dogs, but also wolves, Baba Yaga and other characters. The wolf, for example, is dreamed of by those children who are afraid of punishment from their father. Closer to the age of three, Baba Yaga begins to appear in nightmares, reflecting the child’s problems in relationships with a strict mother. In my opinion, children already have enough of their own real and self-inflicted fears that imposing and instilling new ones (a grandma, an evil uncle, a nurse with a syringe around the corner, etc.) is not useful and someday in the future it will respond itself parents.

Scientists conducted a survey of two hundred mothers of children aged one to three years according to a list of 29 types of fear. According to the survey, the most common fear in children one to two years old is the fear of unexpected sounds. In second place is the fear of loneliness, followed by fears of pain, injections and the associated fear of medical workers. At two years old, the fear of pain and injections comes to the fore, followed by fears of loneliness. Compared to the first year, the fear of unexpected sounds decreases. This indicates a decrease in unconditional reflex, instinctively conditioned fears and an increase in fears that are mainly of a conditioned reflex nature of origin (pain, injections, doctors).

How can we help children overcome anxiety and fears? Firstly, in early period What the baby needs most is an emotional sense of security. If the mother is nearby, the father dominates the family, the parents do not wage a “war” with stubbornness, develop rather than suppress the child’s “I,” then the baby will calmly overcome his fears. Secondly, parents’ self-confidence is of no small importance. In my practice, there was a case when a child from about one and a half to two years old was very afraid of health workers. The pediatrician could not even look at the throat and “listen” to the child: as soon as the baby entered the office, he immediately began to cry. It turns out that his mother herself was very afraid of doctors and went to see her only when absolutely necessary. Moreover, during each visit to any clinic or hospital, she experienced internal trembling and a nagging feeling of anxiety, which, naturally, was passed on to the child. Children are more observant and sensitive than adults.

Age 3-5 years

This is the age of emotional enrichment of the child’s “I”. The baby already more or less understands his feelings, the desire for trust, understanding, and closeness with other people begins to be clearly expressed. Feelings such as guilt and empathy appear. The child’s independence increases: he can now occupy himself on his own and does not require the constant presence of adults. The imagination develops intensively, which in turn entails the likelihood of the appearance and development of imaginary fears. Around the age of four, emotional preference for the parent of the opposite sex becomes maximally expressed. Thus, at this age, the lack of emotional responsiveness of the parent of the other sex gives rise to anxiety, instability of mood and moodiness, with the help of which the child tries to attract attention. After all, positive behavior is taken for granted by parents and is sometimes not appreciated, and during periods of bad behavior of a child, parents actively participate in his life for the purpose of re-education. But even without all this, at three to five years old the following triad of fears is often encountered: loneliness, darkness and confined space.

Children who have the opportunity to communicate with peers have significantly less fear. Excessive care in the family is perhaps more harmful than neglect. After all, this only emphasizes that the child is weak and defenseless in front of the world around him, full of uncertainty and danger. Let us also note that parental fears are unconsciously transmitted to children. So, dear parents, analyze your behavior. In my practice, there was the following positive case: one mother was afraid of dogs, but when an animal appeared, she did not show signs of anxiety, she began to tell her child about dogs, that you should not grab them, scream, you must love them, that animals are different from people (the mother had to talk about them read in advance). Together they fed birds, cats and dogs. As a result, not only did the child show no fear of dogs and treat them favorably, but the mother also became calmer towards them. This is your own therapy through your baby!

Age 5-7 years

The growing interest of a five-year-old child is directed towards the sphere of relationships between people. The adult's assessments are subject to critical analysis and comparison with one's own. Volition and volitional qualities are increasingly developing. Happening further development cognitive sphere of personality. Gradually, the child begins to ask the following questions: “Where did everything come from?”, “Why do people live?” and so on. A value system, a sense of home, parents, and an understanding of the meaning of family are formed.

“Higher feelings” are formed: intellectual (curiosity, inquisitiveness, sense of humor, surprise), moral (pride, shame, friendship), aesthetic (feelings of beauty, heroism).

The moral development of an older preschooler largely depends on the degree of adult participation in it, since it is in communication with him that the child learns, comprehends and interprets moral norms and rules. It is necessary to form the habit of moral behavior in a preschooler. This is facilitated by the creation of problematic situations and the inclusion of children in them in the process of everyday life.

At the age of five, transient obsessive repetitions of indecent words are characteristic; at the age of six, children are overcome by anxiety and doubts about their future: “Will we be late?”, “Will you buy it?”, “What if they don’t marry me?” You should avoid punishment for indecent words, patiently explaining their unacceptableness (in this sense, it is useful not to say them yourself - at least in front of the child).

The parent of the same sex enjoys exceptional authority among older preschoolers, which is expressed in imitation, including habits, and behavior. Parental divorce among children of this age has a greater adverse effect on boys than on girls.

The leading fear of five to seven years old is the fear of death. Usually, children themselves cope with such experiences, but only if there is a cheerful atmosphere in the family, if parents do not talk endlessly about their ailments, illnesses, the death of loved ones and acquaintances (especially in accidents, from poisoning and other tragic cases). If the child himself is anxious, then worries of this kind will only increase the age-related fear of death.

It is useful to talk with your child about his worries, worries and fears. You can tell your child some fairy tale where the hero had similar experiences, but everything ended well in the end. Or, together with your child, draw his fear and discuss it. This will help relieve mental stress; By drawing, children give vent to their feelings and painlessly come into contact with frightening, traumatic events. When trying to drown out a child’s fears with statements like “There’s nothing to be afraid of!”, “It’s all nothing,” “There’s nothing here!” you will only make matters worse. The child will stop telling you about his worries, but not because they have gone away, but because he will decide that you are unable to help. And then the children will be left alone with their fears, which can later turn into an obsessive or other, sometimes incredible, form.

In conclusion, I would like to say that children are an investment in the future. And only after a certain period will we receive either a profit or a loss. Who invested in what, or rather, who developed what qualities...