Abstract
In addition to the disease itself, medical treatment causes anxiety and distress in children and their parents. Anxiety and distress in children may differ by age, temperament, relationship with parents, coping style, and previous experiences with such treatment, and so on. In this paper I first describe recent developments in child psychology, in particular newborn competence, child temperament, attachment and cognitive development. I then remind medical practitioners, including anesthesiologists, to pay attention when treating children on mental health issues, because in Japan the mental health of children with diseases does not fully understood. Medical practitioners must care children respectfully.
