Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Stranger anxiety
Introduction
Background
Background
Stranger anxiety is a form of distress that children experience when exposed to people unfamiliar to them. Symptoms may vary, but include: getting very quiet and staring at the stranger, the child verbally protesting by cries or other vocalizations and/or hiding behind a parent. Stranger anxiety is a typical and therefore normal part of the developmental sequence that most children experience.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]