A–Z Glossary

Parental anxiety

Parental anxiety is persistent worry, tension, or fear about a child’s safety, health, behavior, future, or a parent’s ability to cope.

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Why parents feel anxious and common fears

Why parents feel anxious and common fears

Why anxiety is so common in parenting Parenthood places the brain in a state of sustained vigilance. A caregiver is continually scanning for signs of hunger, pain, danger, developmental delay, social exclusion, illness, or emotional distress. This vigilance is adaptive: it helps parents notice a fever, a choking hazard, a depressed mood, or a risky […]

Parental anxiety explained

Parental anxiety explained

What parental anxiety means Parental anxiety is not simply caring deeply. Caring involves attention, planning, and responsiveness. Anxiety becomes more problematic when the nervous system repeatedly interprets ordinary uncertainty as imminent danger. A parent may know rationally that a child is probably safe, yet still feel physiological arousal: rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, gastrointestinal discomfort, insomnia, […]