separation anxiety

separation anxiety   n.   A child's apprehension associated with separation from a parent or other caregiver. Anxious behavior exhibited by a domestic animal in the absence of its owner or custodian.

Main Entry: separation anxiety
Function: noun
: a form of anxiety originally caused by separation from a significant nurturant figure (as a mother) and that is duplicatedlater in life by usually sudden and involuntary exposure to novel and potentially threatening situations

separation anxiety sep·a·ra·tion anxiety (sěp'ə-rā'shən)
n.
A child's apprehension or fear associated with his or her separation from a parent or other significant person.