Anxiety in Infants

ANXIETY IN INFANTS

We’ll now turn to the specific question of anxiety in infancy.   Any discussion of infant anxiety must include an understanding of temperament or the innate qualities that babies come into the world with, the presence or absence of parental or caretaker’s anxiety, and anxiety in relationship to the rapid developmental changes in infancy.  

We’ll then focus on the effects of anxiety on the infant’s capacity to engage with others, the physiological impact of anxiety on the developing brain, and behavioral manifestations of anxiety in infants.  

Finally, we’ll address various ways caretakers can help an anxious infant.