Separation Anxiety (separation + anxiety)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Terms modified by Separation Anxiety

  • separation anxiety disorder

  • Selected Abstracts


    Separation Anxiety in Parents of Adolescents: Theoretical Significance and Scale Development

    CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2001
    Ellen Hock
    Parents of adolescents commonly face separation-related issues associated with children's increasing independence and imminent leave-taking. The aims of this investigation were (1) to develop a reliable and valid measure of parental emotions associated with separation and (2) to validate the measure by relating it to other attributes (attachment relationship quality, parent , child communication, and parent , adolescent differentiation) assessed in mothers, fathers, and their adolescents. The newly constructed, 35-item Parents of Adolescents Separation Anxiety Scale (PASAS) was administered to 686 parents of teenagers in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 or college-bound freshmen and seniors. Factor analyses supported formation of two subscales: Anxiety about Adolescent Distancing (AAD) and Comfort with Secure Base Role (CSBR); both subscales showed distinctive patterns of change with child age. Parents' reports indicated that healthy adult attachment styles were associated with lower AAD and higher CSBR scores; children of parents who had higher AAD scores reported lower quality of attachment to both mothers and fathers. [source]


    Clinical characteristics of inpatient adolescents with severe obsessive,compulsive disorder

    DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 2 2006
    Gal Shoval M.D.
    Abstract Obsessive,compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common disorder in adolescents, usually treated in the outpatient setting. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics of adolescents with severe OCD that required hospitalization. A total of 342 patients consecutively admitted to a psychiatric adolescent inpatient unit and 87 healthy volunteers were assessed by a semistructured interview for clinical diagnosis, suicide risk factors, aggression, ego defense mechanisms, and intelligence. Patients with OCD (n=40) were compared to other four diagnostic patient groups with psychotic, affective, conduct, and eating disorders, as well as to normal controls. Adolescent inpatients with OCD experienced less separation anxiety than all the other psychiatric groups (P < .01) and were less impulsive than controls (P < .001). They differed in aggressive/impulsive traits and hospital-related behaviors from other diagnostic groups. Adolescent inpatients with OCD consist of a unique subgroup in the inpatient unit in terms of their clinical characteristics and risk factors for suicide. These characteristics should be taken into account when developing a treatment plan for these difficult-to-treat inpatients. Depression and Anxiety 23:62,70, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Frequency and clinical correlates of adult separation anxiety in a sample of 508 outpatients with mood and anxiety disorders

    ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2010
    S. Pini
    Pini S, Abelli M, Shear KM, Cardini A, Lari L, Gesi C, Muti M, Calugi S, Galderisi S, Troisi A, Bertolino A, Cassano GB. Frequency and clinical correlates of adult separation anxiety in a sample of 508 outpatients with mood and anxiety disorders. Objective:, To evaluate the frequency and clinical correlates of adult separation anxiety disorder in a large cohort of patients with mood and anxiety disorders. Method:, Overall, 508 outpatients with anxiety and mood disorders were assessed by the structured clinical interview for diagnostic and statistical manual (IV edition) axis I disorders for principal diagnosis and comorbidity and by other appropriate instruments for separation anxiety into adulthood or childhood. Results:, Overall, 105 subjects (20.7%) were assessed as having adult separation anxiety disorder without a history of childhood separation anxiety and 110 (21.7%) had adult separation anxiety disorder with a history of childhood separation anxiety. Adult separation anxiety was associated with severe role impairment in work and social relationships after controlling for potential confounding effect of anxiety comorbidity. Conclusion:, Adult separation anxiety disorder is likely to be much more common in adults than previously recognized. Research is needed to better understand the relationships of this condition with other co-occurring affective disorders. [source]


    Association of DRD4 polymorphism with severity of oppositional defiant disorder, separation anxiety disorder and repetitive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 6 2010
    Kenneth D. Gadow
    Abstract The objective was to examine whether a common polymorphism in the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) might be a potential biomarker for behavioral variation within the autism spectrum disorder clinical phenotype. Children (N = 66) were evaluated with a validated mother- and teacher-completed DSM-IV-referenced rating scale. Partial eta-squared (,p2) was used to gauge the magnitude of group differences: 0.01,0.06 = small, 0.06,0.14 = moderate and > 0.14 = large. Children who were 7-repeat allele carriers had more severe oppositional defiant disorder behaviors according to mothers' (,p2 = 0.10) and teachers' (,p2 = 0.06) ratings than noncarriers, but the latter was marginally significant (P = 0.07). Children who were 7-repeat allele carriers also obtained more severe maternal ratings of tics (,p2 = 0.07) and obsessions,compulsions (,p2 = 0.08). Findings for maternal ratings of separation anxiety were marginally significant (P = 0.08, ,p2 = 0.05). Analyses of combined DRD4 and dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) genotypes approached significance (P = 0.05) for teachers' ratings of oppositional behavior and mothers' ratings of tics. DRD4 allelic variation may be a prognostic biomarker for challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder, but these exploratory findings remain tentative pending replication with larger independent samples. [source]


    Links between Community Violence and the Family System: Evidence from Children's Feelings of Relatedness and Perceptions of Parent Behavior,

    FAMILY PROCESS, Issue 3 2002
    Michael Lynch Ph.D.
    In this study, we examined some of the ways in which broader ecological systems may influence the organization of behavior within the family system. Specifically, links between exposure to community violence and children's relationships with maternal caregivers were investigated in a sample of 127 urban children between the ages of 7 and 13 years. Children were asked to indicate whether they had been exposed to a wide variety of violent events. In addition, their feelings of relatedness and separation anxiety, and their perceptions of maternal behavior were assessed. It was expected that exposure to community violence would be associated with feeling less secure with caregivers. Consistent with predictions from ecological-transactional theory, data supported this hypothesis. Children who reported that they had been exposed to high levels of community violence also indicated that they felt less positive affect when with their caregiver, were dissatisfied with how close they felt to her, felt more separation anxiety, and reported more negative maternal behavior than children exposed to less violence. Findings are discussed in terms of how violence may affect the family system and the protective function of human attachment. [source]


    Family influences on dysfunctional thinking in anxious children

    INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2003
    Susan M. Bögels
    Abstract Anxious children are found to interpret ambiguous stories in a negative way. The current study attempted to examine the possible influence of parental fear and parental interpretation bias on the maintenance of such an interpretation bias. Children varying in level of anxiety (n=25) and their parents, filled in a questionnaire to measure their own fears, and gave their interpretations concerning nine ambiguous stories, relevant for childhood ,interactional' anxieties: social anxiety, separation anxiety, and generalized anxiety. Then, parents were asked to talk with their children about three of the stories. After the family discussion the children had to give their final interpretations. Results indicated that parents' self-reported fear level and interpretation bias were associated with children's interpretation bias before the family discussion. However, no evidence was found for the idea that parents maintain or enhance the interpretation bias of their children. That is, irrespective of parental fear and parental interpretation bias, children interpreted the ambiguous stories as less negative after discussing them with their parents. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Parent,ETH;child agreement and prevalence estimates of diagnoses in childhood: Direct interview versus family history method

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009
    Stéphane Rothen
    Abstract Diagnostic information on children is typically elicited from both children and their parents. The aims of the present paper were to: (1) compare prevalence estimates according to maternal reports, paternal reports and direct interviews of children [major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety and attention-deficit and disruptive behavioural disorders]; (2) assess mother,child, father,child and inter-parental agreement for these disorders; (3) determine the association between several child, parent and familial characteristics and the degree of diagnostic agreement or the likelihood of parental reporting; (4) determine the predictive validity of diagnostic information provided by parents and children. Analyses were based on 235 mother,offspring, 189 father,offspring and 128 mother,father pairs. Diagnostic assessment included the Kiddie-schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) (offspring) and the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) (parents and offspring at follow-up) interviews. Parental reports were collected using the Family History , Research Diagnostic Criteria (FH-RDC). Analyses revealed: (1) prevalence estimates for internalizing disorders were generally lower according to parental information than according to the K-SADS; (2) mother,child and father,child agreement was poor and within similar ranges; (3) parents with a history of MDD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reported these disorders in their children more frequently; (4) in a sub-sample followed-up into adulthood, diagnoses of MDD, separation anxiety and conduct disorder at baseline concurred with the corresponding lifetime diagnosis at age 19 according to the child rather than according to the parents. In conclusion, our findings support large discrepancies of diagnostic information provided by parents and children with generally lower reporting of internalizing disorders by parents, and differential reporting of depression and ADHD by parental disease status. Follow-up data also supports the validity of information provided by adolescent offspring. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    The lived experience of mothering after prison: The preliminary study

    JOURNAL OF FORENSIC NURSING, Issue 2 2008
    Margaret O. Hayes MSN
    Abstract The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological preliminary study was to gain a better understanding of the experience of mothering after prison. In-depth interviewing was conducted with two participants for a period of 4 months after their release from prison. All interviews were focused on the research question, "What has been your experience of mothering since your release from prison?" Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The following four themes emerged: "always the mother,""separation anxiety,""new demands: divided loyalties," and "the honeymoon is over." [source]


    Child-Care Usage and Mother-Infant "Quality Time"

    JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 1 2002
    Cathryn L. Booth
    Mothers' time-use patterns were compared in families in which infants spent more than 30 hours per week in child care (In-Care group; n= 143) versus 0 hours per week (At-Home group; n= 183) from birth to 6 months of age. In-Care group mothers spent about 12 fewer hours per week interacting with their infants, for about 32% less time; fathers of these infants were more involved in caregiving. The groups did not differ in the quality of mother-infant interaction. In the In-Care group, quantity of interaction was related to greater separation anxiety and concerns about effects of maternal employment. Time-use data were not related to child outcomes at 15 months of age. Results suggest that the effect of extensive time spent apart on the quantity and quality of mother-infant interaction may be smaller than anticipated. [source]


    Mood and anxiety psychopathology and temporomandibular disorder: a spectrum approach

    JOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 10 2004
    D. Manfredini
    summary, Psychological factors play an important role in the aetiopathogenesis of temporomandibular disorders (TMD), as demonstrated by an increase in stress, anxiety, depression and somatization in TMD patients. The aim of this work was to investigate the presence of mood and panic-agoraphobic symptoms in different groups of TMD patients by means of a spectrum approach to psychopathology. A total of 131 subjects were included in this study and TMD signs and symptoms were investigated by means of a standardized clinical examination. Two self-report questionnaires were used to evaluate mood (MOODS-SR) and panic-agoraphobic (PAS-SR) spectrum. anova and Bonferroni's post hoc test for multiple comparisons were used to compare mean scores of all TMD groups for MOODS-SR, PAS-SR and all their domains. Results revealed a significantly higher prevalence of both mood (P < 0·001) and panic-agoraphobic (P < 0·01) symptoms in myofascial pain patients than in all other diagnostic groups (TMD-free, disc displacement and joint disorders). With regard to mood spectrum, strong differences emerged for all domains evaluating depressive symptoms. As for the panic-agoraphobic spectrum, myofascial pain patients differed from the other groups for the presence of stress sensitivity, panic, separation anxiety, hypochondriac and agoraphobic symptoms. It was concluded that myofascial pain patients differed from those with disc displacement, joint disorders and no TMD in relation to some psychopathological symptoms, while the last three groups presented very similar profiles. [source]


    Basic knowledge in psychodermatology

    JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 2 2007
    F Poot
    Abstract Background, The authors try to define the framework of this approach, what should be acquired by "well-informed" dermatologists and what is required to be a pyschodermatologist. Objective, To better define the necessary knowledge to practice psychodermatology. Results, 1) The first level is dermatology psychology: there is a psychotherapeutical implicit effect of the dermatological consultation with a goal that is not psychological change. This effect can be improved by acquiring better communication skills and information. The second level needs a possibility to change the emotional individual process and the relational context in a continuum between counselling and psychotherapy. To practice this level a complete psychotherapeutic education with some specificity is needed. This can be reached by a dermatologist also being a psychotherapist or by a team consisting of both dermatologist-psychotherapist. 2) The psychodermatological patient is characterized by alexithymia. He/she needs to be understood through the body language he/she presents. This kind of patient is coming from families where the theme of loss seems to dominate the histories and be associated with deep emotional experiences of separation anxiety. These characteristics must be known together with the different psychodermatological disorders and the mind-body interaction to handle these patients. 3) Taking all of this complexity into account, the psychodermatologist or the psychodermatological team should be able to integrate the different points and adapt attitudes to the patient's difficulty during the whole therapeutic process. 4) The evaluation of the problem should be done using psychological tools here described. Conclusion, The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) together with the European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry (ESDaP) are able to provide the specific education for dermatologist and psychotherapist. In the future, they could be responsible for the recognition of these special abilities and treatments on a governmental and European political level. [source]


    Impact of peanut allergy on quality of life, stress and anxiety in the family

    ALLERGY, Issue 3 2009
    R. M. King
    Background:, Peanut allergy (PA) is known to impact on quality of life (QoL) of the sufferer, but little research has focused on all family members. We therefore sought to establish the impact of PA on QoL and reported anxiety of children with clinically confirmed PA, their parents and older siblings. Methods:, Forty-six families, who had a child with PA, completed QoL (PedsQLTM or WHOQOL-BREF), anxiety (SCAS or STAI) and perceived stress (PSS) scales. PA children completed a PA specific QoL questionnaire (Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2003;14:378). Parents and sibling also completed QoL proxy questionnaires for the PA child (PedsQLTM, Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2003;14:378). Results:, Mothers rated their own psychological (P < 0.01) and physical (P < 0.05) QoL significantly worse than fathers rated theirs, and had higher scores than fathers for anxiety (P < 0.05) and stress (P < 0.001). Children with PA had significantly poorer physical health-related QoL (P < 0.05), QoL within school (P < 0.01) and general QoL (P < 0.05) than their siblings did, and greater separation anxiety (P < 0.05). The majority of differences were between girls with PA and female siblings. Mothers felt that there was a greater impact on QoL for their PA child, compared with that reported by siblings, fathers or the PA children themselves (P < 0.01). Conclusions:, Mothers report that they have significantly poorer QoL and suffer more anxiety and stress than fathers do; this inter-parental difference may be an important feature of family stress caused by PA. Siblings have a similar view of how QoL affects the PA child as the PA child does, while mothers may possibly overestimate this impact. [source]


    High risk studies and developmental antecedents of anxiety disorders,

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS, Issue 2 2008
    Dina R. Hirshfeld-Becker
    Abstract The past two decades have witnessed significant growth in our understanding of the developmental antecedents of anxiety disorders. In this article, we review studies of offspring at risk for anxiety disorders, longitudinal studies of the course of anxiety disorders in clinical, epidemiologic, and at-risk samples, studies of hypothesized temperamental risk factors for anxiety, and give a brief overview of the literature on environmental risk factors. Clear developmental antecedents to anxiety disorders identified include (1) childhood anxiety disorders [in particular, separation anxiety and overanxious disorder/general anxiety disorder (GAD)], (2) behavioral inhibition which predicts later social phobia, (3) anxiety sensitivity which predicts later panic disorder, and (4) negative affectivity, which predicts a spectrum of psychopathology including anxiety disorders. Further prospective studies are needed to examine the roles of environmental factors such as parenting practices, peer influences, stressful life events, and perinatal stressors. Future studies could benefit from (1) beginning earlier in development and following individuals into adulthood, (2) assessing the overlap between multiple temperamental constructs, (3) greater use of observational measures of temperament and of parent,child and peer interactions, (4) greater attention to parental psychopathology which may confound associations noted, (5) exploration of other features of anxiety disorders (neurofunctional correlates, cognitive features, other aspects of emotional regulation) as potential precursors, and (6) intervention studies exploring whether modifying developmental antecedents can alter the course of anxiety disorders. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Rates and types of psychiatric disorders in perinatally human immunodeficiency virus-infected youth and seroreverters

    THE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 9 2009
    Claude Ann Mellins
    Background:, The purpose of this study was to examine 1) the prevalence of psychiatric and substance use disorders in perinatally HIV-infected (HIV+) adolescents and 2) the association between HIV infection and these mental health outcomes by comparing HIV+ youths to HIV exposed but uninfected youths (HIV-) from similar communities. Methods:, Data for this paper come from the baseline interview of a longitudinal study of mental health outcomes in 9-16 year old perinatally HIV-exposed youths (61% HIV+) and their caregivers. Three hundred forty youths and their primary adult caregivers were recruited from four medical centers and participated in separate individual interviews. Youth psychiatric disorder was assessed using the caregiver and youth versions of The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV). Results:, According to caregiver or youth report, a high percentage of HIV+ and HIV- youths met criteria for a non-substance use psychiatric disorder, with significantly higher rates among the HIV+ youths (61% vs. 49%, OR = 1.59; CI = 1.03,2.47; p < .05). The most prevalent diagnoses in both groups were anxiety disorders (46% for total sample) which included social phobia, separation anxiety, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive- compulsive disorder, and specific phobias. One quarter of the sample met criteria for a behavioral disorder (ADHD, conduct disorders, and oppositional defiant disorders), with ADHD being most prevalent. HIV+ youths had significantly higher rates of ADHD (OR = 2.45; CI = 1.20, 4.99, p < .05). Only 7% of youths met criteria for a mood disorder and 4% for a substance abuse disorder. Several caregiver variables (caregiver type and HIV status) were also associated with both child HIV status and mental health outcomes. Conclusions:, Our data suggest that HIV+ youths are at high risk for mental health disorders. Further longitudinal research is necessary to understand the etiology, as well as potential protective factors, in order to inform efficacy-based interventions. [source]


    Parenting, autonomy and self-care of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes

    CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2009
    C. Dashiff
    Abstract Background During adolescence diabetes creates a juncture of very complex disease management demands with developmental needs, including the striving of adolescents for greater autonomy. Parents' concerns and fears about the teen's diabetes self-management abilities during this time can heighten parental attachment behaviour and affect the parents' ability to support autonomy development necessary for effective self-care. Maternal parenting processes may be especially important for those adolescents who have Type 1 diabetes because mothers are the primary caregivers. Purpose Based on attachment theory, the aim was to test a model of the influence of mother,adolescent developmental conflict, maternal separation anxiety and maternal inhibition of autonomy and relatedness on cognitive autonomy and self-care of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes. Method A total of 131 families with an adolescent, aged 11,15 years, contributed data annually across three waves. Mothers and adolescents completed paper-and-pencil measures and two interaction scenarios that were coded by trained staff from audio-tapes. The adolescent also completed a structured interview and questionnaire to assess self-care. Results Maternal separation anxiety when adolescents were 11,15 years of age directly predicted cognitive autonomy at 1-year follow-up, and that cognitive autonomy was directly related to self-care 1 year later, but did not mediate between separation anxiety and self-care. Conclusions Future investigation of the influence of separation anxiety of parents on adolescent autonomy development is warranted, as well as the contribution of autonomy development to diabetes self-management behaviours of adolescents. [source]