Children and Stress Symptoms

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Children and Stress Symptoms

Question:

My son is 8. Is it possible for him to have stress problems at this young age? Whenever he gets worried or too hot, he seems to break out in welts.

Answer:

Adults typically think of childhood as carefree time, but children, like adults, can worry about things and feel pressure in their lives. For example, children can be stressed about a move to a new community, pressures to excel in school and/or sports, the illness or death of someone close to them, family conflicts such as divorce, and bullying at school or in the neighborhood.

Children can also be worried by large-scale world events they see or hear about in the media, such as war, terrorism, and natural disasters. Problems may also directly impact a child's life, such as when a parent is sent to Iraq or a family is displaced by a disaster like Hurricane Katrina.

Both children and adults face challenges in life and it is not always easy to cope. In addition, children have less knowledge and experience to help them understand and meet these challenges. They generally do not have the skills needed to express how they are feeling and when they might want or need help. Instead, for many children, stress and worry appear as physical complaints, especially headaches and stomachaches.

Since it sounds like you feel that your son may be worried about something, talk with him. First ask some open-ended questions. For example, "How are things going at school?" This allows him to share and describe how he's feeling. Next, rephrase his answers and check to see if you understand your son correctly with closed-ended questions "You seem to feel worried because of… Is that right? Is anything else bothering you?"

Use the tone of his voice and his body language to help you try to better understand his thoughts and feelings. Reassure him that you love him and that together you will help him face this stressful situation. You might talk with your son's pediatrician or a pediatric mental health specialist on how best to help him.

Henry (Hank) Bernstein, D.O. is a Senior Lecturer in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. Formerly the Associate Chief of General Pediatrics and Director of Primary Care at Children's Hospital Boston, he currently is the Chief of General Academic Pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. He has extensive and varied experience as a primary care pediatrician, and is a spokesperson for the news media on a variety of pediatric health care topics, including vaccination, common childhood illnesses, and practical information for caregivers.

Last updated:	July 20, 2009