That children can suffer stress is something that does not escape us, but stress is something serious, I know, I understand that it is not the same to be nervous than to suffer tensions that can lead to some type of disorder. And is that no wonder at all that happen: lengthening of the school day with extracurriculars, afternoons, play centers, etc; difficulties to enjoy the outdoors and the benefits of Nature, little contact with parents, etc.
Dr. Selene Zepeda Glass of the Training and Quality Center of the Mexican Social Security Institute, explains that stress is the individual's response to situations that he perceives threatening or novel for his daily life. Among the first would be bullying, among the second (for example) the birth of a brother. The specialist ensures that Child stress can occur at any stage of life even during the intrauterine period, so that if the pregnant woman perceives tensions, the fetus may have reactions such as increased heart rate and different movements.
Causes of stress in children
Perception of family-related difficulties: fights between parents, or between them and other family members; economic problems; parental negligence or excessive control by them.
At school, sources of stress are considered difficulties in relating to students and teachers; be a victim of bullying; high academic pressures or expectations from parents; It is also a cause of stress the excess of activities outside school hours.
It also causes stress have constant concerns related to the image, or a very early / very late development in the characters of sexual differentiation (they are situations that come from adolescence).
It is the mission of the parents to recognize the symptoms of stress.
And the specialist diagnose and guide, yes. That is why we are alert to these warning signs that can be presented in isolation or several at the same time, and let's not forget that not always the changes that our children suffer can be contextualized, so we must be willing to admit that children have a problem that exceeds our ability to understand it, and accept medical advice or guidance.
If the child suffers frequent diarrhea, or constipation; if there are also appetite disorders, we will worry. But also when the child gets tired or tired frequently, or has apathy to move, or passivity; If you have trouble sleeping, we will also look for the origin.
It may happen that we find the poor school performance as a symptom, or that we detect problems in relating to other people, and that there has suddenly been an increase or decrease in physical activity. And finally, watch out if the child is irritable, or feels sad!
Dr. Zepeda Glass says that the child or adolescent can suffer stress without knowing it, and without awareness of what it means to be stressed; but when addressing the problem, it is necessary that the child can understand (according to their age and abilities) what is happening to them. Any person who suffers from it will have alterations at a biological, psychological and behavioral level, therefore the first step is to identify them, to deal with stress in a healthy way.
It is necessary avoid the timing that could lead to permanent stress, even after reaching adulthood; That is why many times the recommendations to make changes in the child's life are accompanied by the suggestion of a psychological therapy, which should also be attended by the parents.
