Date of Award

8-2023

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Child Development

Department

Child Development

First Reader/Committee Chair

Kamptner, Laura

Abstract

Anxiety has become one of the most common mental health disorders in young children, and it has been shown to have a significant impact on their development. Anxiety can make a child more susceptible to a number of negative effects, including a weakened immune system, developing “negative” habits such as nail biting, increased proneness to anger or crying, as well as difficulties in learning and retaining information. Conversely, when parents/caregivers can prevent or decrease anxiety in their children, children can better regulate their emotions, have more successful relationships, take more risks, and cope better with challenges. The purpose of this project was to create a workshop to teach parents and caregivers about child anxiety, including what causes it, how it affects a child, and ways to prevent and reduce it. The workshop will include the following topics: An Introduction to Childhood Anxiety Disorders, Causes of Anxiety in Children, Negative Effects of Anxiety Disorders for Children, and Prevention and Reduction of Childhood Anxiety. This workshop is intended for parents and caregivers of preschool and elementary school-aged children who have experienced anxiety. Although there are many programs that aim to help children and their parents decrease the effects of anxiety, many are costly, not geographically accessible, and/or are not developmentally appropriate for these ages. The current project is designed to be a free, online workshop for parents and caregivers of preschool and elementary school-aged children.

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