Separation anxiety

Separation anxiety is distress triggered by separation from an attachment figure, especially in young children. It ranges from a common developmental response to a persistent disorder that disrupts daily life.

Attachment theory: A psychological framework explaining how early bonds with caregivers shape security and later relationships. It explains why separation from a familiar caregiver can feel threatening.
Infant attachment: The emotional bond through which an infant seeks comfort and security from a caregiver. The distress depends on the infant's bond with the person who provides security.
Separation anxiety disorder in children: A childhood anxiety disorder involving excessive fear or distress about separation from home or attachment figures. In children, symptoms may include school refusal, sleep difficulties, or repeated fears of caregiver harm.
Normal developmental anxiety: Age-expected fear or distress that appears as children encounter new developmental challenges. Brief separation distress is common in development and does not by itself indicate a disorder.
Attachment behavior: Actions that help maintain proximity to a person who provides safety and care. Proximity-seeking behaviors are common ways children respond to separation distress.
Strange situation procedure: A laboratory procedure that assesses infant attachment through brief separations and reunions with a caregiver. Its separation and reunion episodes reveal how infants respond when attachment figures leave and return.
Separation anxiety disorder in adults: A disorder in which adults experience excessive fear or distress about separation from attachment figures. The disorder can persist from childhood or begin in adulthood, affecting relationships and independence.
Specific phobia: An anxiety disorder involving persistent, excessive fear of a particular object or situation. Specific phobia centers on a defined trigger, rather than separation from an attachment figure.
Stranger anxiety: Wariness or distress around unfamiliar people, commonly emerging during infancy. It often develops alongside separation anxiety as infants distinguish familiar caregivers from others.
Secure base: A caregiver's role as a dependable point from which a child explores and to which the child returns for comfort. A secure base can make exploration possible despite temporary caregiver absence.

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