Question 3

Question:

An 8-year-old boy needs to be coaxed to go to school and, while there, often complains of severe headaches or stomach pain. His mother frequently has to take him home because of his symptoms. At night, he tries to sleep with his parents. When they insist that he sleep in his own room, he says that there are monsters in his closet. Which of the following best explains this behavior?

Correct Answer: C. Separation anxiety disorder

Separation anxiety (option C) is a disorder of childhood that is most often seen in children 7-8 years old. The disorder manifests itself as an overwhelming fear of loss (usually of a parent) and can lead to physical complaints to avoid going to school or other activities. Separation anxiety is a normal part of development which occurs between 8-18 months; however, in a child >5 years old, separation anxiety that affects normal activity is described as a disorder.
Childhood schizophrenia (option A) develops before puberty and is presents as withdrawal, failure to develop a separate identity from the mother, and may include autistic like behaviors.
Latency is a Freudian stage of development that occurs from about age 6-puberty following the resolution of the Oedipal period. During this period the superego, the moral conscience is formed.
Socialized conduct disorder (option D) is is a persistent behavior that manifests as violation of the rights of others (stealing, fighting, malicious acts). In those older than 18 years, this disorder is classified as antisocial personality disorder. Socialized conduct disorder is related to ADHD and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder).
Symbiotic psychosis (option E) is classified as a pervasive developmental disorder of early childhood described by Margaret Mahler. Although separation anxiety is feature of the psychosis, it is accompanied by developmental and social retardation.