A child has difficulty going to school alone and being in a room by himself/herself. He/she fears entering new situations and clings to his/her parents. These symptoms are indicative of:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Separation anxiety disorder
Option (1) Phobia — Incorrect. People with phobias have irrational fears related to specific objects, people or situations, such as a certain animal or an enclosed space. The child’s fear here is not of a thing or a place as such; it is of being away from the parents.
Option (2) Separation anxiety disorder — Correct. Children with SAD are fearful and anxious about separation from attachment figures to an extent that is not appropriate for their age. They may have difficulty being in a room by themselves, going to school alone, or entering new situations, and they cling to and shadow their parents. The child in the question shows every one of these signs.
Option (3) Obsessive-compulsive disorder — Incorrect. In OCD the person is unable to control a preoccupation with specific ideas (obsessions) or cannot stop repeatedly carrying out a particular act (compulsions), such as washing hands again and again. The child shows no such repeated thoughts or acts.
Option (4) Generalised anxiety disorder — Incorrect. It consists of prolonged, vague, unexplained and intense fears that are not attached to any particular object, with worry about the future and constant watchfulness. The child’s fear is attached to one clear thing, separation from the parents.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2025 on 16-05-2025 (Slot 1).
NCERT: Psychology — Chapter 4: Psychological Disorders, Separation anxiety disorder; Table 4.1 (2025-26)
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