Politicians who have parental responsibilities tend to express the challenges of maintaining a balance between their political duties and their family life.
Children are not immune to the challenges their parents face. Recent studies suggest that teenagers and young children can experience anxiety about political issues.
Nicole Caporino, a child clinical psychologist, found that children between the ages of four and seventeen express concern over various political issues. This ranges from being bullied because of their parent’s political affiliation to the possibility of deportation and being separated from a family because of political policies.
Psychologists agree that children can develop separation anxiety disorder (SAD) by feeling fear and anxiety from family members. Political campaigns can be highly stressful, and they can create situations that can be traumatic for children. Researchers suggest that a traumatic event can also trigger SAD.
Even though both biological and environmental factors can cause SAD, the anxiety created by a parent’s political affiliation is more common than ever. Kids model the behavior that their parents show towards political agendas.
The school environment and social media expose kids to humiliation if their parent’s political efforts are not achieved. If children are not emotionally prepared to deal with the political environment, it may exacerbate symptoms of SAD.
Parents who are politically active can help to prevent SAD in their children by taking a few precautions. Early treatment can help to prevent aggravating symptoms and can promote your child’s emotional development.
Babies can show symptoms of separation anxiety as early as 4 to 5 months. Parents in politics should consider separation anxiety babies’ treatment by consulting a pediatrician or child clinical psychologist. In some cases, symptoms of SAD will fade, but there are a few measures hard-working parents can take to foster independence in their children.