Abandonment issues are a form of anxiety that can affect relationships throughout life. They involve a deep fear of being hurt, rejected, or abandoned. The causes of abandonment issues can be traced back to specific painful experiences of being betrayed, hurt, or abandoned by someone. Some of the factors that can turn loss into abandonment issues include environmental and medical factors, genetics, and brain chemistry. However, early childhood experiences are the biggest contributor to developing abandonment issues when you become an adult. The traumatic event might include the loss of a parent by divorce or death or not getting enough physical or emotional care as a child. Emotional abandonment occurs when parents do not let their children express themselves emotionally. Abandonment issues can also develop after losing an intimate partner to divorce or death.
People with abandonment issues can have difficulties in relationships. They may exhibit symptoms such as codependency, clinginess, or manipulative behavior. They can either demonstrate avoidant or antisocial behaviors, withdrawing from peers, or bullying others. They might also be either very fearful of adults or overly trusting, developing fast dependencies. Abandonment issues can negatively impact healthy relationships, and some of the long-term effects of dealing with abandonment issues might include severe difficulty forming relationships with friends or romantic partners, low self-esteem, issues with anger and jealousy, finding it hard to trust partners, and fear of being alone.
Therapy may help the person cope with abandonment issues. It can help them identify the root cause of their abandonment issues and develop coping mechanisms to manage their anxiety and fear of abandonment.
