Children exhibiting excessive, enduring fear related to separation from their parents may be diagnosed with what?

The condition characterized by excessive and enduring fear related to separation from parents is known as separation anxiety disorder. This disorder often manifests in children as intense distress when anticipating or experiencing separation from caregivers. The core feature includes excessive worry about losing a parent or about harm befalling them, leading to significant avoidance behavior. Children may express physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches when faced with separation, and they often struggle with situations such as attending school or staying at a friend's house.

In contrast, other mentioned disorders do not specifically relate to fears of separation. Animal phobia involves irrational fears of specific animals, social phobia pertains to anxiety in social situations, and obsessive-compulsive disorder features intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors rather than fears around separations. Therefore, separation anxiety disorder accurately describes the symptoms associated with the fear of being apart from parents, making it the correct choice.