Introduction. The scientific review is devoted to the issue of the influence of strong or prolonged stress on children in the first years of life, which is poorly understood both in psychiatry and in medical psychology. The study is based on a comparison of the manifestations of stress disorders in young children, described in modern medical and psychological literature, with the symptoms of various stress disorders in adults, as reflected in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10).
Results. The survey shows that infants and young children suffer from stressful actions in the same way as adults or older children, and they can also be diagnosed with a stress disorder. In this case, specific manifestations of disorders and stressors within them may differ. Such specific age-related symptoms of stress disorders as a post-traumatic game, separation anxiety, regression in development, etc. are considered. It is shown that the mental health disorders in young children, arising from different types of stressors - a sudden traumatic event of high intensity or chronic psycho traumatic situation, differ in their manifestations and consequences. It is emphasized, that the presence of a stress disorder in a child can adversely affect their development, impacting their cognitive processes and social relations. The importance of mother-child and wider family relationships for the emergence of stress disorders and its progression in children of the first years of life is illuminated, and the need for the provision of therapeutic care for both members of the mother-child dyad is also shown.
Practical significance. The review is addressed to specialists in institutions of preschool education and aims to inform them about the signs of stress disorders in children in the first years of life, so that they can recognize them and initiate a family appeal for specialized assistance to a child psychiatrist or a medical psychologist.