Related Experiment Videos
[Father-child hospitalization in the separation anxiety]
H Chabrol1, R Fouraste, P Morón
1Clinique à la Faculté, Attaché des Hôpital La Grave, Université de Toulouse II.
Insights
Severe separation anxiety disorder in children, often leading to school refusal, can be treated by hospitalizing the child with their father. This approach helps manage separation fears and restore autonomy.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Family Therapy
Background:
- Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) with school refusal presents significant treatment challenges, often showing resistance to outpatient care.
- The overwhelming fear of separation can make traditional hospitalization seem overly dramatic for affected children.
Observation:
- A case study involved a 13-year-old child experiencing severe SAD, manifesting as school refusal and inability to separate from the mother.
- The primary issue identified was the child's intense fear of separating from the mother.
Findings:
- The treatment involved hospitalizing the child with the father, positioning him as a co-therapist.
- Therapeutic decisions regarding graduated exposure to separation were made collaboratively with the father, who then communicated them to the child.
- This structured approach re-established paternal control, effectively reducing the child's anxiety.
Implications:
- Hospitalizing children with their fathers offers a viable therapeutic strategy for severe SAD and school refusal.
- Involving the father as a co-therapist can facilitate the gradual restoration of a child's autonomy and reduce separation anxiety.
- This case highlights the potential of family-centered, structured interventions in managing complex pediatric anxiety disorders.
Abstract:
Severe forms of separation anxiety disorder with school refusal can be difficult to treat: on the one hand the resistance to outpatient treatment is usual, on the other hand, fear of separation is so overwhelming that hospitalization can be seen as too dramatic. We suggest hospitalizing the child with his or her father as fear of separation with the mother is usually the main problem. We report a case study of a 13 year old child with separation anxiety disorder who refused to go to school and to be separated from his mother. Treatment consisted of hospitalizing the child with his father and to gradually restore his autonomy. The father was given the role of a co-therapist: the main therapeutic decisions about graduated exposure to separation were taken after discussion with the father who passed them on to the child. These structuring interventions re-established the father's control which helped to sedate the child's anxiety.