AMBOSS agrees:
“Stranger anxiety: when an infant is fearful of unknown individuals
Expected ages: 6 months–3 years [24]
Clinical features: crying and/or clinging to a known caregiver when around strangers”
https://next.amboss.com/us/article/b40H3T?q=stranger%20anxiety#Z95ddba91042a1576b44f67cf208180ae
@AnKing-Maintainers This has been brought up multiple times already and rejected. If I’m reading the prior discussions correctly, the thought is that it begins to develop at 6 months but usually presents around 9 months. The AMBOSS text says 6 months like @cpochat says, but the AMBOSS table further up the page lists it under 9 months (https://next.amboss.com/us/article/b40H3T#Y79a034a9618c964364bdb4020d135203).
The fact that a change request gets submitted this often should prompt us to explain a bit more in the Extra. Perhaps adding something before the table like “Stranger anxiety begins to develop at 6 months but does not typically present until 9 months”? Since the card is asking by what age does it develop, so it wouldn’t be 6 months.
UWorld QID 15488 says
This patient’s distress at interacting with unfamiliar people is typical of stranger anxiety, a normal part of development that begins around age 6 months. It is characterized by distress (expressed by crying, screaming, clinging) when unfamiliar people approach and occurs even in the presence of the caregiver. The development of stranger anxiety at this age indicates that the infant has made a specific attachment to the primary caregiver (mother) and is able to distinguish her from a strange or less familiar individual.
Stranger anxiety typically peaks around age 9 months and resolves on its own by 2 years of age.
@DillingerMed explained it perfectly, I’ll edit the extra
Support adding clarification to the extra. It does get submitted a lot.