Final answer:
Children show various behaviors when stressed, such as resistance to clothing choices, rapid changes in self-esteem, and even bullying, which may indicate emotional challenges or responses to stressors like peer interactions and previous experiences of abuse.
Step-by-step explanation:
Children exhibit a range of out-of-the-ordinary behaviors when they are stressed. For instance, you may notice a child engaging in excessive repetitive play or insisting on doing things that might not seem age-appropriate, such as a two-year-old daughter who refuses to wear the clothes picked for her, resulting in stressful morning routines. School-age children display fragility in emotional well-being, experiencing rapid changes in self-esteem in response to peer interactions. A significant deviation from expected behavior, like an 11-year-old son becoming a class bully, may indicate underlying stress or emotional challenges.
When children encounter stress, their responses can include physical symptoms, such as a rapid heartbeat, as well as emotional ones, like aggression or withdrawal. It's important to recognize that even common behaviors, such as a child dressing in adult-like attire during play, can be a means of expression and coping with stress. Finally, children with disorganized attachment may demonstrate extreme and erratic behaviors due to stresses, including prior abuse, which interrupts their ability to regulate emotions effectively.