School phobia in children is a type of anxiety disorder that refers to the intense anxiety and fear that young people have about going to school. It usually occurs around the age when children start school, but can also occur at an older age. School phobia can have a negative impact on your child's daily life and can also affect their educational achievement in the long term.
Nowadays, children's anxiety and fear of going to school has become a very common problem for parents and teachers. This is referred to as school refusal and is often a serious cause for concern. School refusal is characterized by a child's unwillingness to go to school and often expresses this unwillingness through physical or emotional symptoms. Assessing and managing this challenging situation is a complex process that requires the cooperation of many stakeholders.
What are the symptoms of school phobia?
The symptoms of school phobia can vary depending on the child's age, personality and the situation they are living in. However, common symptoms may include the following:
Physical Symptoms: To avoid going to school, children may experience physical complaints such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, sweating, frequent urination, headaches or dizziness. These complaints often have psychological causes.
Excessive Worry and Anxiety: As the time to go to school approaches, children may experience a great deal of anxiety and worry. These anxieties, often about going to school in the morning, may reach their peak and it may take time for the child to relax.
School Refusal: Children may openly express that they do not want to go to school.
Social Isolation: Avoidance of going to school can negatively affect a child's social relationships with friends. Staying at home instead of going to school can lead to social isolation.
Behavior Problems: Avoidance of going to school can lead to behavioral problems at school or at home. These behaviors may be attempts to alleviate the child's anxiety or distract the child.
Sleep Problems: Anxiety about going to school can affect a child's sleep at night. Lack of sleep can make the child feel even more anxious.
What are the Causes of School Phobia?
The causes of school phobia, which refers to children's intense anxiety and fear of going to school, can be caused by many different factors and may vary from child to child. However, common reasons that are effective in the development of school phobia can be listed as follows:
Separation Anxiety: Separation anxiety is one of the most common causes of school phobia, as going to school means separation from parents for children. Children may not want to go to school because of their fear of being separated from their parents.
Problems at Home: Problems in the family can cause a child to avoid going to school. For example, family conflicts or stress in the family can increase a child's school phobia.
Social Factors: Bullying at school, conflicts between friends, or negative experiences between students can lead a child to avoid going to school. Socially uncomfortable experiences can be triggers of school phobia.
Genetic Factors: Family history can influence a child's susceptibility to anxiety disorders. Children with a family history of anxiety disorders may be at risk for school phobia.
Academic Difficulties: Children may not want to go to school when they feel academically unsuccessful or unable to cope with schoolwork. This can be especially true for children who lack confidence in a particular subject.
Separation Anxiety: Children may avoid going to school because of previous separations, such as a parent's business trip or divorce. Such separations can lead to a child developing separation anxiety.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Some children may have a generalized anxiety disorder and this can contribute to the development of school phobia. Generalized anxiety disorder can weaken a child's ability to cope with all kinds of stress and anxiety.
Past Traumatic Experiences: The fact that the child has had traumatic experiences in the past can be one of the underlying causes of school phobia. These traumatic experiences can increase the child's feelings of insecurity or distrust of school.
How is school phobia treated?
As with many issues, early intervention in the case of school phobia is vital for the child to readjust to school. The family, teachers, school administration and school psychological counselors should cooperate in the evaluation and treatment processes. Since each child's reason for not going to school may be different, a customized intervention plan should be created for each child.
An important point to consider in the treatment process is that children may have fewer sources of emotional support than adults in finding solutions to their problems. For this reason, parents may make excessive efforts to protect their children or observe their children's distress and experience their own anxiety. It is important to educate parents to deal with these situations.
School phobia should not be treated as a problem of the child alone, but should be dealt with by all family members, taking into account the relationships within the family, the points that need to be emphasized and the areas that need to be corrected. Parents should try to understand their child's fears and anxieties and listen without criticizing. It is important to remember that this condition is treatable. At the end of the treatment process, parents and children will have new opportunities to learn and develop. Treatment offers an effective way to manage the condition and achieve positive outcomes.
It is extremely important to organize the home environment in a positive way, emphasize that you understand your child, make positive statements about school, encourage your child to go to school and be consistent about it. At first, parents can accompany their child to school, but over time they should reduce this support and show their child that they can be on their own at school. Children's freedom should be gradually increased.
If problems increase or if parents find it difficult to find solutions, it may be helpful to consult a specialist. This problem can be treated with multifaceted approaches such as psychoeducation for the child and family, family therapy, educational and support therapy, parent and teacher interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy. When starting these interventions, it is important to plan close to the holidays so as not to interrupt the child's adaptation to school.