Children Get Stressed Out Too!

Children are obviously affected by stress. In two studies at Ohio State, children 7-12 named 908 different stressors! Another study by the University of Delaware revealed that children report higher stress levels than parents.

In order to help stressed out kids, parents first need to recognize it in their child.

Two important signs of stress are change and regression. Children under stress usually change their behavior and mood. They react by doing and feeling things that are unusual for them. And/or they can regress to behaviors seen in earlier phases of development.

Which way might your child lean?

The child who holds it in may become a worrier, withdraw, become fearful, sad or shy, not sleep well, and/or become prone to cry easily. Physical symptoms like stomach aches, headaches or frequent illnesses are common in children who hold in their stress.

The child who acts out stress may begin to throw temper tantrums, become irritable, demanding or destructive, bully other children, or refuse to obey, among other things. Of course these reactions make it difficult to draw them out so they can talk about their stress, because we need to deal with their destructive behavior at the same time.

Later we’ll talk about ways to help your children cope better with their stress.

Ken Williams