Middle childhood, which lasts from ages 6 through 11, is an active yet challenging time for children. They are asserting more independence, adjusting to the demands of school, and seeking friendships with classmates. Regardless of the cause, kids in middle childhood have trouble processing their emotions, making stress management difficult.
Academics and Activities
Pressure to succeed academically comes to the forefront during the middle childhood years. As they become more involved in school, children take notice that their academic work and accomplishments--or lack thereof--are being critiqued by their parents, teachers and even classmates. School-age children also face multiple pressures and time-consuming responsibilities, including homework, projects and extracurricular activities. These challenges cause stress in the short-term, and may even have long-term effects, as children who are overbooked during middle childhood are at risk for burnout as teens.
Peer Pressure
Peer pressure during middle childhood is also a prominent contributor to stress. It's around ages 6 to 8 that children become more focused on getting other kids to like and accept them. This only increases through the remainder of the middle childhood years as they continue to compare themselves to others. They struggle with the temptation to fit in while also balancing the expectations of parents and other authority figures. Kids also feel stressed about fitting a certain image at school. Pressures to be thin, wear trendy clothes or have the latest gadgets are rampant among school-age kids. It's no coincidence that poor body image and eating disorders start to become an issue among children ages 9 to 11, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Personal Issues
Family conflict is an important source of stress and can have a major impact on kids in this age group. In fact, divorce may be the most stressful on school-age children compared to younger or older age groups. They lack the ability to process or handle their responses to the pain caused by parental separation. Kids in middle childhood tend to feel rejected as a result of divorce. Death is difficult for children to handle, as well. Children ages 6 to 8 may feel anger towards a loved one who passes and develop anxiety or depression. Older children have a better grasp on the meaning of death, but they also struggle with recognizing and expressing their emotions about it.
Warning Signs
Children's responses to stress vary and may not always be obvious. Some kids act out by misbehaving, bullying peers or being more demanding. Such responses to stress are more prevalent in boys, according to Iowa State University's Dr. Virginia Molgaard. Girls, on the other hand, tend to internalize stress and develop anxiety or depression. Children who keep their stress bottled up are more likely to act shy, fearful and worried. These kids tend to experience physical manifestations of their stress, such as headaches, stomachaches or bed wetting.
References
- University of Florida IFAS Extension; Jodimae Lyttle, Eboni J. Baugh, Ph.D, CFLE
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Middle Childhood Developmental Milestones (6-8 Years Old)
- University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension; The Effects of Divorce on Children; Mary W. Temke, Ph.D, Rebecca Carman
- Medical College of Wisconsin; Grief in Children and Developmental Concepts of Death; Adam Himebauch, et al.
- Iowa Cooperative Extension Service; Stress - Taking Charge: Helping Children Manage Stress; Virginia Molgaard, Ph.D
