A child might feel anxious on her first day of school, when she's spending the night at a friend's house for the first time or when she knows she has to get a cavity filled at the dentist's office. It's normal for children to experience anxiety and stress, but for children who feel anxious on a regular basis, it can be debilitating. Overwhelming anxiety can lead to issues at school, trouble making and maintaining friends and anxiety disorders.
Biological and Genetic Factors
Biological and genetic factors aren't the only reasons that a child might suffer from an anxiety disorder or experience more anxiety than other children, but they play a role. According to Keep Kids Healthy, 50 percent of children diagnosed with panic disorder have a relative who suffers from an anxiety disorder. Children with anxiety disorders might also have differences in their brain chemistry, including imbalances in neurotransmitters, from children who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
The National Mental Health Information Center reports that some children have a temperament more conducive to experiencing overwhelming anxiety and not knowing how to cope with it. For instance, children who are shy and restrained may feel more anxious when in unfamiliar situations and when meeting new people than children who are outgoing.
Traumatic Experiences
Children who experience a significant trauma such as being sexually abused or getting into a near-fatal car accident may develop issues with anxiety. Some children are resilient and cope well with a traumatic situation and don't develop an anxiety disorder, but others have a difficult time, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Separation
Some children have a hard time separating from their parents, which causes a lot of stress for a child and causes the child to develop separation anxiety disorder. Some children feel so much anxiety when separated from their parents that they have a hard time concentrating and doing well in school, going to a friend's house to play and becoming independent.
School Issues
A child might become anxious if he starts to have problems at school. If he gets into trouble with the teacher, is being bullied, isn't accepted by his peers or performs poorly on tests, he might develop issues with anxiety. Sometimes the cause of issues at school is other mental health problems, such as ADHD, which can significantly impact a child's self-esteem and level of anxiety.
Problems at Home
If children don't feel safe at home or experience turbulence at home, their level of anxiety can dramatically increase. For instance, if the child moves to a new house, her parents start arguing on a regular basis, or her mom starts bringing strange men home, she might become anxious. Things that aren't within the child's normal routine can create anxiety.
