Children with short stature are prone to psychological problems. Not only do children with short stature not grow, but most of them have different degrees of psychological problems, including introversion, emotional instability, poor communication and social withdrawal.
Because of their short stature, more than 90% of children have a strong inferiority complex and lack of self-esteem, and their emotions are easily influenced by the internal and external environment and change. Due to the gap between the growth rate and the psychological expectation, their emotions are often unstable and they suffer from loss and gain. In daily life, most of the children feel inferior and ashamed of themselves, and tend to be more sensitive and lack self-confidence than the average person.
In school-age children, due to their short stature, they are ashamed to interact with others for fear of being ridiculed by their classmates, and they become isolated and disassociated due to repression and withdrawal. Their appearance is younger than their peers, and they are often overprotected by their parents, often lacking the opportunity to interact with others and live in a group, resulting in their group life and social skills significantly lagging behind normal children, with the phenomenon of self-imposed isolation. Childhood depression is concentrated between the ages of 6-12 years.
The incidence of depression in younger children with short stature is similar to that of healthy children, but the incidence of depression in older children with short stature is 72.92%. The reluctance of short children to communicate with others due to low self-esteem leads to the inability to vent their inner stress and express their wishes, which eventually leads to autism and then develops into depression. Depressive disorders may lead to anxiety attacks or manic episodes during adolescence or adulthood.
Counseling can lead to a healthy psychological environment for children with dwarfism. Therefore, parents should learn as much as possible about the psychological characteristics of children and about mental illnesses, and have a more comprehensive understanding of their children’s intelligence level and interests, etc. They should not blindly compare or imitate, but also teach their children according to their temperament type and special interests. The most important thing is to have an appropriate level of expectation for the child.
The above is the explanation of the psychological problems that short children are prone to. If your child has the problem of short stature, it must be treated in time, as long as the treatment is timely, the child’s height can be maximized. If you still have questions about dwarfism, welcome to the pediatrician Liao Wei Clinic at the Third Military Medical University for consultation.