Don’t let anxiety get a grip on your children

Awareness: Up to a fifth of children and adolescents are believed to suffer – it can be eased by attentive parenting

The cost-of-living crisis is worrying adults – but what about children, who are dealing with less money, anxious parents, exams, plus all the pressures of social media and modern life?

NHS data suggests nearly 300,000 young people in Britain have an anxiety disorder.

This is thought to affect up to 19% of all children and adolescents in the UK, and up to 5% of children younger than 12.

“Anxiety is the most common psychological condition among children and young people,” says Dave Smithson, operations director at Anxiety UK (anxietyuk.org.uk). However, signs of anxiety are not always obvious for parents to spot.”

Deirdre Kehoe, co-CEO and director of training and services at children’s mental health charity YoungMinds (youngminds. org.uk), says it’s normal for children and young people to experience worry, stress or anxiety at certain points in their lives – such as at exam time, if they have difficult relationships with friends and family, money worries, or are concerned about events in the news.

But she points out: “More and more young people are needing support for their mental health and anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions.

“We know from speaking to young people and from our research, the past year has been one of the most difficult for young people – emerging from the pandemic to more limited future prospects, along with academic pressure to

catch up on lost learning, and the impact of the costof-living crisis.”

Kehoe says discussing anxiety with children can be hard and they might initially struggle to talk about it.

“If they do open up,” she advises, “listen in a nonjudgmental way about how they’re feeling. Remind them it’s OK to feel scared or worried.

“Remember, you don’t need to know the answers, but talking things through can help them feel calmer.”

She suggests parents research ways to help their children, including mindfulness, meditation, and grounding techniques.

Kehoe says anxiety can become a problem when a young person isn’t in a stressful situation, but still feels worried or panicky.

Hard-to-spot signs of

anxiety in children and young people may include…

SLEEP PROBLEMS

“Having difficulty nodding off, bad dreams and maybe wetting the bed are signs of anxiety,” says Smithson.

NERVOUSNESS

If your child seems less able to cope than usual and more nervous, it may be underlying anxiety, warns Kehoe: “Symptoms will look different for everyone, but things your child might experience include feeling nervous, overwhelmed, or full of dread.”

PHYSICAL PROBLEMS

Minor ailments such as tummy trouble or feeling faint may be an indication there’s an underlying issue.

Kehoe says: “Symptoms including feeling faint, stomach cramps or diarrhoea, can be a sign of anxiety.”

Smithson adds: “Tummy upsets and headaches may be a common ailment, but they’re also a common sideeffect of anxiety in young people, especially if they occur frequently and are an excuse to avoid school.”

MORE CLINGY

Smithson says another sign to watch for is your child becoming tearful or not wanting to let you go. This is often a sign of separation anxiety.

EATING HABITS

YoungMinds says problems with food can begin as a coping strategy when young people are anxious, and they may lose their appetite, or comfort eat when they’re not hungry.

LOSING THEIR TEMPER

Teenagers are renowned for flying off the handle – but their outbursts may not just be the result of raging hormones, warns Smithson: “Those teenage outbursts of anger or frustration aren’t just signs of them growing up, but could be a result of their underlying anxious thoughts and feelings.”

CONCENTRATION

If you notice your child is struggling to focus on a given task, it could mean they’re stressing about something. “This could be another sign of anxiety in children and young people,” says Kehoe.

REDUCED CONFIDENCE

Remind them it’s OK to feel scared or worried

“If your child is withdrawn, lacks confidence or gets upset, it might be an indicator they need some help,” warns Kehoe.

Smithson points out that a lack of confidence or selfesteem may be an anxiety symptom in older, more adolescent children.

Call the Anxiety UK helpline on 03444 775 774

LEARNING CURVE: Children are having to catch up after lost classes in the pandemic.