Program developed to treat children's anxiety
Child health experts estimate that about one in 10 children suffer from anxiety, ranging from extreme shyness to an irrational fear of global problems.
Experts says the issue can even occur among preschoolers.
Macquarie University researchers in Sydney are treating children as young as two and say anxiety is nowhere near as well understood as illnesses like depression.
It is estimated that about 11 per cent of children suffer from anxiety compared to 3 per cent who suffer from depression.
The researchers have recently developed a program for parents of preschoolers with anxiety, which is showing signs of success.
Macquarie University Centre for Emotional Health director Professor Ron Rapee says children can suffer from anxiety, which can range from separation anxiety to being worried about global issues.
"[There are] kids who just worry about everything," he said.
"They worry about starving kids in Africa or they worry about the world ending, they worry about the lights being left on or their parents finances - just all sorts of things."
Mr Rapee says problems that exist when a child is young can often get worse as they get older.
"You tend to find that the worries and the shyness get a little bit worse as kids get a bit older and so the really full-blown, severe problems with worry and shyness are more common in the teenage, early teenage years," he said.
"But you can see kids as young as four, five and six who are already very shy and worried."
Macquarie University PhD student Elizabeth Lau has set up a 10-week program at the Macquarie University Centre to treat preschoolers suffering anxiety.
The program focuses on teaching parents how to respond to their children's behaviour.
"At three-and-a-half [years old] I've had kids who have said 'I'm afraid mum might die'," Ms Lau said.
"They also say things like 'I'm worried... should I pick this toy? But if I take this toy, who is going to pack it up later?'
"So, thinking about things that [they should not worry about] for their age."
Ms Lau says the moods of parents can have a big impact on how a child develops.
"Kids who at a young age show really high levels of anxiety and who also have a parent who is a bit anxious or depressed, have a seven to 11 times higher risk of developing anxiety than other kids would," she said.
"We're trying to pick out this high risk group of kids and trying to really change their developing trajectory away from developing anxiety in the future."
Ms Lau says the program has been showing positive results.
"Definitely clinically it looks really good," she said.
"One thing we find is that parents feel a lot more confident, a lot more empowered in terms of number one, 'I know how to respond to my child', and 'I know I'm doing the right thing' and I think that's really important for parents."