Stress is not only the domain of busy, overworked adults. Stress accompanies us at every stage of life and, regardless of age, is always equally unpleasant and negatively affects the body and well-being. Even children experience stressful situations from an early age. What are the most common causes of stress in children?

For adults, it can be difficult to understand or guess what situations may cause stress in children. A child may be stressed by serious matters such as the death of a loved one, quarrels, moving, or problems at school. Stress in children can also be triggered by seemingly “trivial” things, such as falling asleep alone, meeting in a larger group, playing with peers, weather phenomena, or information heard in the media. Although for adults such problems may seem simple and insignificant, one should not impose pressure on the child or criticize their fears. Every carelessly spoken sentence can influence the child’s future development. It is worth avoiding comments like: “Such a big boy and afraid to sleep alone” or “When I was your age, I stayed home alone.” It is important not to create pressure related to education – if a child achieves good results, they may feel stressed to maintain or improve them just to please their parents.

At school, a child faces many stressful situations rooted in peer relationships. Children can often be very unkind to one another; cases of bullying and fights are common. Exclusion by classmates or being mocked are significant sources of stress. The same applies when peers do not want to play with the child or never pick them for a team (e.g., in PE class).

At home, a child may experience stress from parents or other household members. Regarding school, parents often recklessly judge their children harshly and blame them for poor grades or academic results. In such cases, threats and blackmail (“You won’t go on vacation if you don’t improve your grades”) should not be used.

Family arguments are equally difficult for children. Even disputes over trivial matters can make a child feel guilty. Research shows that children exposed to prolonged stress caused by family conflicts later struggle with concentration and problem-solving. Daily exposure to aggression and violent conflict resolution may lead the child to adopt the same behavior patterns in adulthood.

Every child is different and will react to and show stress in their own way. Stress may manifest itself through frequent colds, allergies, headaches, stomachaches, or sleep problems. No warning signals should be ignored, as the key is to eliminate the source of stress and resolve the child’s problems (e.g., bullying at school). At the same time, we must not underestimate any stressors, because what is trivial for one child can be a source of great stress for another.