What You Need To Know About Social Anxiety In Children
Does your child feel extremely uncomfortable in social situations? Most parents assume that it is due to shyness and that their children are simply shyer than other children.
The truth is that it is completely normal to feel shy in some situations, such as when speaking in front of the entire class. However, In the case of some children it is more than simple shyness, we may be facing a social anxiety disorder In this article we will talk in detail about this anxiety disorder.
Social anxiety disorder is a specific type of anxiety disorder that is triggered when the child is faced with social situations It is important to be clear that social anxiety is more than shyness or embarrassment. Children with social anxiety disorder feel extremely uncomfortable in social settings. Additionally, your ability to perform everyday tasks is affected.
Children with this type of anxiety are concerned about how other people perceive them in social situations. That is to say, They have many concerns about meeting or talking to people, and constantly fear being embarrassed, negatively judged, or rejected In many cases it happens that they only feel comfortable with people they know very well.
This intense fear of social situations often makes it difficult for the child to make new friends and enjoy the company of other people.
As a consequence of the anxiety generated by social situations, children usually end up avoiding these situations But it is precisely in these situations that children learn social rules and how to act with others. In this way, social anxiety becomes a vicious cycle that prevents children from acquiring the social skills they need to function in the world.
In general terms, children with social anxiety have difficulty meeting other children or joining groups they usually have a limited number of friends and avoid social situations.
Some social situations that can trigger this anxiety are the following: speaking in public, reading aloud, interacting with new people, participating in groups, attending social gatherings where there are many people, and attending extracurricular activities where they do not know anyone. the other children, among others.
In addition, social anxiety disorder can cause significant distress, can have a negative effect on academic performance, social relationships, self-confidence and other important areas of functioning in the child’s life.
Symptoms of social anxiety in children
Symptoms of social anxiety can be reflected in three areas: physical, emotional and behavioral It is also important to note that this disorder presents differently in each child. Let’s see below the symptoms of children with anxiety disorder:
Social anxiety, like other types of anxiety, also often has physical signs, such as nausea, stomach pain, palpitations, flushing, dizziness, and tremors.
In anxiety disorder, the fear or anxiety of a certain social situation is not proportionate to the real threat and fear, anxiety, and avoidance must last for at least six months. In addition, another symptom is that it causes clinically significant distress in the child in social, school, or other areas of functioning.
To do?
If social anxiety disorder negatively affects your child’s ability to attend school, socialize with other children, or affects other areas of their daily functioning, it may be a good idea seek help from a mental health professional who can perform an appropriate evaluation to discern whether it is shyness or social anxiety.
