From the Guidelines
When parents experience anxiety about being separated from their child, it's typically called parental separation anxiety, not separation anxiety disorder. This distinction is crucial as separation anxiety disorder is a clinical diagnosis usually applied to children who experience excessive distress when separated from attachment figures, as seen in the context of insecure attachment relationships with primary caregivers 1.
Key Points to Consider
- Parental separation anxiety involves parents feeling excessive worry, guilt, or distress when apart from their child, which can manifest in various situations such as leaving children with caregivers or at school.
- The experience of parental separation anxiety can be related to the parent's own attachment style and psychological factors, similar to how an "anxious-ambivalent" attachment style in children is associated with significant distress on separation from home 1.
- While some degree of parental separation anxiety is normal, especially with infants or during major transitions, it becomes problematic when it interferes with a child's healthy development of independence or the parent's daily functioning.
- Strategies such as cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, mindfulness practices, or gradual exposure to separation can help parents manage their anxiety and build confidence in their ability to separate from their child without causing harm.
From the Research
Definition and Classification
- Separation anxiety disorder is no longer limited to childhood or adolescence, as evidenced by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) categorization 2.
- The DSM-5 recognizes separation anxiety disorder as a distinct condition that can occur in adults, with or without a childhood onset 2.
Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder (ASAD)
- ASAD can have its first onset in adulthood, although in some cases, it may represent a persistence or recurrence of the childhood-onset type 3.
- Studies have shown that ASAD is associated with high levels of disability and can signal a poor outcome to cognitive-behavioral therapy 3.
- ASAD is a distinct condition that can be differentiated from other anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder and agoraphobia 4, 5.
Diagnosis and Prevalence
- The prevalence of ASAD is surprisingly high among adults, with some studies suggesting that it occurs in up to 80% of treatment non-responders with anxiety disorders 6.
- ASAD can be diagnosed using standardized measures, such as the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (SCI-SAS) 6.
- The condition is often associated with anxious attachment styles, but the relationship between ASAD and attachment style is not strong 4, 5.