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Falahzade F, Yaghobi Y, Mirzaei M, Hosseinzadeh Siboni F, Kazemnezhad Leili E. Separation Anxiety and Its Related Factors Among Preschool Children in Northern Iran From the Parents’ Point of View. JHNM 2024; 34 (4) :345-356
URL: http://hnmj.gums.ac.ir/article-1-2319-en.html

Introduction: Separation anxiety is a normal development phase in children aged 1-3 years, indicating a healthy maturation of cognition. However, its persistence disrupts the child’s daily life and can lead to anxiety disorder.
Objective: This study aims to determine the level of separation anxiety and its related factors among preschool children in northern Iran from the parent’s point of view.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 567 mothers who had enrolled their children aged 3-6 years in selected preschools in Rasht, Iran, were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. A demographic form and the separation anxiety assessment scale-parent version (SAAS-P) were used to collect data. Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Friedman’s test, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Most of the mothers were older than 30 years (72.84%) and housewives (76.13%) with a bachelor’s degree (66.01%). Based on findings of multiple linear regression analysis, Parent’s quarrels at home (β=5.203, 95% CI; 3.653%, 6.753%, P=0.001), child’s history of hospitalization (β=4.174, 95% CI; 1.528%, 6.820%, P=0.002), playing computer games (β=3.282, 95% CI; 0.647%, 5.918%, P=0.015), premature birth (β=3.797, 95% CI; 0.214%, 7.379%, P=0.038) and mother’s continuing education (β=2.183, 95% CI; 0.123%, 4.243%, P=0.038) were the most important factors effective in increasing separation anxiety (R2 =0.03).
Conclusion: Separation anxiety in Iranian preschool children can be affected by some socio-demographic characteristics of children and their parents and the children’s living environment.