Separation Anxiety and Its Related Factors Among Preschool Children in Northern Iran From the Parents’ Point of View

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.