An investigation of the relationship between children who experienced parental loss and experienced separation anxiety in adulthood

In this study, the levels of separation anxiety experienced in adulthood by individuals who have lost a parent were examined with sociodemographic variables. Separation anxiety is defined as a feeling of anxiety far above the developmentally normal anxiety, manifested by excessive worry, fear and even real or anticipated fear of separation from an attachment figure. In this study, separation anxiety in adults with parental loss was compared with various sociodemographic variables. For the study, 404 participants were asked to respond to the Sociodemographic Information Form and Adult Separation Anxiety Scale, after obtaining their informed consent. Among the participants, 157 people were found to have parental loss. In order to examine the differences in separation anxiety scores of individuals with parental loss in terms of sociodemographic variables, independent samples t-test, one-way and two-way ANOVA were applied. According to the findings obtained in the study, it was determined that the women's separation anxiety scores were higher than males In addition, it was also found that the separation anxiety scores of the participants were significantly higher among the 18-34 year-olds, singles, first-born individuals, those who stated that they received psychological support, those who stated that their parents received psychological support, and those who had a history of panic attack. Research findings indicate that the loss of a parent among young adults may be at risk of separation anxiety. It can be considered that the results obtained may be useful in understanding the psychological symptoms that may be associated with individuals' loss and grief.