Main Causes of Stress in Children

Kids may not have to pay the bills, support a family or be on time to work, but they do experience stress, and it does affect their lives just as strongly as adults' lives. If your child suddenly begins to have nightmares, increased aggression or hyperactivity, lack of interest in friends or family, eating problems or a drop in grades, he or she might be under a lot of stress. Changes, loss, conflict and poor home conditions can cause stress for children.

Changes in Home Routine

• Children thrive in structured households with routines they can understand and anticipate. Naturally, when something happens to disrupt their normal routine, children experience stress. Moving to a new home or changing schools can cause a lot of stress for children. Bringing home a new baby is a stressful time for parents and children. Kids can also become stressed when there is a lack of structure in their home, because they don't know what to expect or how to behave.

Loss

• A child will experience stress after losing anything valuable to them, like a security blanket or favorite toy. Kids experience a great deal of stress when faced with parental separation or divorce or the loss of a loved one or pet. Following a disaster like a hurricane or terrorist attack, children experience levels of stress equal to that of adults.

Conflict

• Just as conflict causes stress and anxiety for adults, it is detrimental to children as well. Parental and family conflict, especially parents who argue a lot in front of their kids, bring stress on children. Conflict with peers or bullying can make children anxious and fearful. Local conflicts, such as living in an unsafe neighborhood, will make children feel stressed. Kids can also experience anxiety when they see a lot of world conflict on the news or Internet. Obviously, emotional or physical abuse causes not just stress for a child, but lifelong psychological problems.

Developmental Changes

• As kids grow, body changes can cause them to feel anxious and stressed, especially if they don't understand what is happening or feel embarrassed about their body. Kids also feel stress as they figure out how to be independent and take on more responsibility. As children age and start to feel pressure to fit in, they will go through a great deal of stress if they feel inadequate compared to their peers (i.e. not as smart, not as good at sports, not as attractive, etc). Peer pressure can be a huge source of stress in teenagers. Parents can also contribute to this stress as they pressure their children to make good grades and excel at extracurricular activities.

Physical Needs

• When a child's physical needs are not met, he or she will go through stress. Lack of adequate food, shelter and clothing will lead to stress, as will lack of sleep. A child who suffers a major injury or illness will also feel stress. Kids need attention and affection to feel loved, and a lack of this due to overextended parents or overcrowded home or school settings will cause a great deal of stress and anxiety.