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Anxiety and its Impact on Child Development

Anthony A. Rivera

Palomar College

CHDV: 100

Dr. Jessie Mellor

June 13th, 2022

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Abstract

Anxiety disorders are something that is very common worldwide, and this does not exclude

children. These anxiety disorders come in different forms but invoke similar feelings of

negativity within the child. Children are susceptible to obtaining a chronic anxiety disorder

through traumatic events or constant stress in their life. They can also develop anxiety through

insecure attachment with their parents or genetically. Anxiety can cause developmental issues,

especially for the psychosocial and cognitive domains. They may struggle to make friends due to

social anxiety, and also research shows that anxiety does affect brain growth and activity. This

would also make school harder for some children. To avoid these obstacles in development,

parents should seek help for their child early on. Treatment usually consists of psychotherapy but

can include medication when needed. Anxiety may never go away completely but treatment

helps alleviate the symptoms and improve their wellbeing.

Keywords: Anxiety Disorder, Child Development, Trauma, Stress, Psychosocial,

Cognitive, Psychotherapy, Antidepressants

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Anxiety and its Impact on Child Development

Anxiety is a burden that plagues many children throughout the world, and unfortunately

can take a toll on their mental health. While there are still people who may not think mental

health is a large issue, the reality is anxiety can affect a child’s development and cause struggle

throughout their early years which will then bleed into their adult life. Some problems may

include feeling comfortable with oneself and having confidence to partake in normal everyday

activities. The purpose of this paper is to delve into the subject of childhood anxiety, explain its

impact on child development, and also explore options of treatment to alleviate the symptoms.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is something that is actually quite common, and for children in years 2016-2019,

almost 10% of them had been diagnosed with some form of anxiety (Bitsko et al, 2022). As for

what types there are, there are three common types that are usually diagnosed. There is

generalized anxiety disorder or GAD, panic disorders, and phobias. As for what anxiety might

feel like, one source describes it as, “Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might

cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat,” (NIH, 2020, para 1). Of

course, many people would say they have felt those symptoms before and that is because anyone

can experience anxiety. The main difference is that for people who have anxiety disorders is that

they have that feeling constantly and overwhelmingly, making life more difficult, especially for

children who have not yet found good strategies to cope with it. As we know, anxiety is common

in children, more common than depression and can coexist with other mental disorders, but what

exactly causes it?

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Causes of Anxiety

Although there are many ways a child can develop a form of anxiety, there is one that is

inexplicably tied to their development, and it comes from their attachment style. One theorist,

Bowlby discussed the different kinds of attachment styles and the effects that may coincide with

them. When a parent is not always there for their child it can create an insecure attachment style

which has been shown to develop anxiety. According to research from Kent State University,

“…can lead to chronic anxiety if children come to believe that attachment figures are not

consistently available, protective, and comforting,” (Kerns and Brumariu, 2013, para 5). Other

environmental factors that may bring this disorder is repeated exposure to stress, or a traumatic

event. Aside from environmental factors, studies also show that anxiety disorders can be genetic,

so some children are more likely than others to obtain it (NIMH, 2022). Once a child has an

anxiety disorder, it can start making life much more difficult and it will even affect their

development.

Effect of Anxiety on Children Development

The three main areas of development are physical, cognitive, and psychosocial. When we

specifically relate anxiety to these domains, there is little research for physical impact, as anxiety

disorders are a category of mental disorders, so they mostly affect cognitive, and especially

psychosocial development. According to a journal from Harvard university, “Consequently, for

young children who perceive the world as a threatening place, a wide range of conditions can

trigger anxious behaviors that then impair their ability to learn and to interact socially with

others,” (Shonkoff, 2020, p.3). The specific areas of the brain that causes these effects are the

prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and the hippocampus. Stress and fear in large quantities caused by
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anxiety are shown to affect growth rates and also the amount of activity in these parts of the

brain which can create issues for the child. Because their cognitive development may be slower,

they may struggle to understand schoolwork at the same rate as their peers and struggling in

school may make their anxiety even worse. Also, because anxiety often comes in the form of

social anxiety it impairs their psychosocial development. They may not want to interact with

other children and their social skills will be behind, not understanding how to make friends and

function in society. Anxiety has a very negative impact on children which is why it is important

to get them help.

Treatment

Treatment for anxiety can come in different forms. One of the best forms of treatment for

children is a type of therapy. This therapy is called cognitive behavioral therapy and it is meant

for anxiety disorders. The idea is to help patients change the way they think and process subjects

that cause them anxiety. Sometimes exposure therapy is also beneficial if there is a very specific

aspect causing a child to have chronic anxiety (NIH, 2020). Sometimes, if therapy is not

sufficient on its own, medicine can be prescribed to be taken alongside therapy. These medicines

include special anxiety types as well as antidepressants. Antidepressants have been shown to

work in treating many kinds of anxiety disorders and doctors will usually prescribe ones such as

Prozac, Zoloft, or Lexapro. Sometimes it takes time to find the right medication, or the right

therapist, but anxiety is treatable. Another important part to note however is that anxiety is

caused by your fight or flight response. This natural response is very different for everybody and

will show different signs and create different issues. Because of this, not all treatments are viable

options for every child, so it is important to recognize some techniques may not work at all even
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if it helped a different child. It can get better for children as long as they do get treatment, and it

is best to seek treatment early on if a child shows signs of anxiety disorders.

Conclusion

In conclusion, anxiety disorders are a common type of mental health disorder for children

to have. Children living difficult lives or who have faced trauma are more likely to develop it,

and it is best to try and get treatment as soon as possible. The earlier a child can fight against

their anxiety, the less damage it will do to their cognitive and psychosocial development which

in turn will provide them with a smoother childhood. This will help give them a better quality of

life overall as opposed to living with anxiety through adulthood.

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References

Bitsko, R. H., Holbrook, J. R., Ghandour, R. M., Blumberg, S. J., Visser, S. N., Perou, R., &

Walkup, J. T. (2018). Epidemiology and impact of health care provider–diagnosed anxiety

and depression among US children. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics,

39(5), 395–403. https://doi.org/10.1097/dbp.0000000000000571 .

Kerns, K. A., & Brumariu, L. E. (2013). Is insecure parent-child attachment a risk factor for the

development of anxiety in childhood or adolescence? Child Development Perspectives,

8(1), 12–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12054 .

NIH. (2020, May 22). Anxiety. MedlinePlus. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from

https://medlineplus.gov/anxiety.html

NIMH. (2022, April). Anxiety disorders. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved June 13,

2022, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders

Shonkoff, J. P. (2020, October 30). Persistent fear and anxiety can affect young children. Center

on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from

https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/persistent-fear-and-anxiety-can-affect-

young-childrens-learning-and-development/