Learning Problems-The-

Fear of school

What is school anxiety?

School anxiety is a child's fear of going to school. This can be due to the lessons, the teachers and classmates or other school factors.

Something about everyday school life scares the child so much that they don't want to go to class. This fear often also affects the children physically, which is why they stand out due to abdominal pain or similar symptoms.

As a parent, how do I know if my child suffers from school anxiety?

Rarely does the child say they are afraid of school or are even fully aware of it. Therefore, if the physical symptoms are unclear, it is of little use to ask the child what the problem is. If the symptoms persist, parents should therefore pay attention to the context in which they are particularly bad.

In the case of school anxiety, for example, the children feel particularly bad before and after school, while they have no problems at all during the holidays. Parents therefore only recognize school anxiety by closely observing their children. In case of doubt, a pediatrician or psychologist can help with his diagnostic options.

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Accompanying symptoms of school anxiety

A pronounced fear of school is often accompanied by unspecific physical symptoms. Typical for this are:

stomach pain
nausea
Gastrointestinal problems
a headache
Sleep and concentration disorders
Pain all over the body
Bed-wetting in children

Especially in older children and adolescents there are psychological symptoms such as depressive mood, social withdrawal or eating disorders.

School anxiety can therefore cause a wide variety of symptoms that are often difficult to determine. This is because the symptoms are psychosomatic in nature. This is the term used to describe physical symptoms that are triggered by psychological stress.

In principle, every conceivable symptom can occur and school anxiety can therefore take a wide variety of forms. But although there is no physical illness as the reason for the symptoms, the symptoms should by no means be underestimated. They are fully perceived by the children and are not conceited. So they bother them as if there was a physical cause.

Abdominal pain because of fear of school

By far the most common symptom of school anxiety is abdominal pain. It is not without good reason that psychological stress is said to "hit you on the stomach", and children in particular are very susceptible to gastrointestinal complaints in this regard.

If abdominal pain persists and is not caused by an acute illness, parents should therefore think about psychological problems such as fear of school.

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When does my child need professional help?

If the child suffers from fear of school, psychologically and / or physically, professional help is advisable. If such psychological stress remains untreated, it can not only impair school performance until graduation, but also make the child susceptible to psychological problems later in life.

Therefore, if you suspect fear of school, you should at least ask your school psychologist for advice. This can then decide whether treatment by a doctor makes sense.

What can you do about fear of school?

In overcoming school fear, it is important to find the cause and, if possible, to remedy it. For example, if the child is afraid of school due to social conflicts, the focus is on reconciliation with the other party.

Often this is not so easy, as very few children develop fear of school due to simple arguments. Usually, more complex problems such as bullying or disadvantage from a teacher are behind fear of school.

In order to resolve these conflicts, other parents and teachers usually have to be consulted. If fear of failure is the reason for refusing school, the child must also receive psychological care. The aim is to strengthen self-esteem and to eliminate the irrational fear that the world would end if the grade was bad.

Family and teachers have to be brought on board, as they often put pressure on the child and thus contribute to the fear of failure.

A good contact person for any form of school anxiety is the school psychologist, who can be found in most schools. This person can not only look after the child, but also coordinate the work of students and teachers.

You can read more helpful information on this topic in our next article under: Therapy and help for children and adolescents with behavioral problems

To what extent can homeopathy help with this?

There is no specific remedy for school anxiety either in homeopathy or in conventional medicine, as it is a psychological problem. But homeopathy in particular offers many possibilities to alleviate mental suffering and to calm the child. This can be helpful in overcoming anxiety as a complementary measure.

Examples of substances used are Argentum nitricum (Silver nitrate) for panic and fear, Gelsemium sempervirens (yellow jasmine bush) for nervousness and Lycopodium clavatum (Bärlapp) with excessive demands and stress.

The following article provides more information on this topic. Read more about this under: Homeopathy for anxiety

How long does the fear of school last?

The duration of school anxiety depends heavily on the cause and severity. As a rule, it does not go away on its own. However, if it is recognized quickly and the triggers are combated, it can disappear again after a few weeks.

However, if the trigger persists and gnaws at the child's physical and mental health, the fear of school may worsen and persist until the child needs professional help.

What is the prognosis?

The prognosis differs from child to child and therefore there are no generally applicable information.However, it is known that the two factors age and severity of school anxiety have a decisive influence on the prognosis.

Children under the age of 11 with only slight restrictions have a treatment success of over 90%, so they can usually be "cured" of their school anxiety. On the other hand, older children with a more severe form are more likely to develop a kind of personality disorder due to their fear of school, which will accompany them throughout their lives. Thus, although the fear of school disappears at some point, the psychological impairment remains.

Where does the fear of school come from?

There are many reasons for fear of everyday school life. Almost every child is sometimes afraid to go to school, for example just before a test or an exam. This must be distinguished from conflicts that cause permanent fear of school and can make the child ill over time. These are usually either social or performance-related fears.

Typical social conflicts are, for example, bullying, the fear of being embarrassed, fear of a teacher or low self-esteem and the problems associated with it. The children are afraid of these situations in everyday school life and do not feel they are up to the social challenges. Shy and reserved characters in particular are prone to these social fears.

For more information, see: Consequences of bullying

Another form of school anxiety arises from the pressure to perform that children experience from teachers, parents, or even themselves. Exam situations trigger a real panic in these children and they are very afraid of failure.

This can be caused by strict parents and teachers and previous poor school performance, but children with good grades are also often fearful of exams if they put themselves under too much pressure. Very insecure or very ambitious children are particularly prone to this form of school anxiety.

Very often children who suffer from reading and spelling difficulties are also afraid of going to school. Stress from potential failure makes them aggressive and sad.

You can read more about this topic: Causes of behavioral problems in children

How is school anxiety diagnosed?

The diagnosis of fear of school is usually made by the pediatrician or child psychologist or psychiatrist. The anamnesis, i.e. inquiring about symptoms and circumstances, is decisive.

In addition to this detailed discussion with the doctor, physical and psychological examinations are carried out in order to get a comprehensive picture of the child and his situation and to rule out other causes for the problems.

Is there a test for school anxiety?

As part of the psychological assessment of the child, various tests can be used to record the psychological stress in connection with school. Examples include procedures that illustrate the child's general mental health and intellectual performance. Only a few of these tests are specific for school anxiety.

One is the so-called SAT test, in which the children are shown 10 picture boards and they are asked to tell something about the presented situations. The examiner can focus the conversation on the typical aspects of school anxiety and assess the children's answers accordingly.

This procedure was already developed in the 1970s and must therefore be adapted to the current school situation and expanded to include some aspects. The testing is therefore always a combination of standardized test procedures and their modification and interpretation by an experienced doctor or psychologist in conjunction with the results of the other examinations.

School fear in elementary school

In principle, schoolchildren of any age can develop a fear of school. The causes and characteristics are different in younger children than in older children. In primary school, almost all children are overwhelmed, at least initially. This can be due to the classmates, the teachers or the class itself.

Socially insecure children, for example, find it difficult to speak in front of their classmates and therefore contribute little to the classroom. They are scared of being called, as is joint activities. The child must first learn to deal with the demands of the school, and the teacher should specifically encourage and relieve such children.

Some teachers have the opposite effect on children of this age and can trigger school anxiety through particularly strict behavior and high performance demands. This does not mean that such a teacher is bad, as most children need strict rules as a structure. But it is precisely at this age that there are often sensitive students who are easily intimidated and develop a fear of school.

Arguments with classmates exacerbate this problem. Elementary school students are therefore particularly prone to school anxiety. Fortunately, it is easy to treat and overcome in children of this age, as it is seldom an expression of a deeper psychological burden.

Are you interested in this topic? Then read our next article below: Bullying in elementary school

School anxiety in adolescence

In everyday school life, young people see themselves exposed to completely different demands than primary school students. Lessons are more difficult, the pressure to perform is higher and the social structures in the face of puberty are more complex. If school fears develop in this context, these are usually more profound than in primary school age.

Achievement-related fear of school is based on the young person's fear of failure. This is an expression of low self-esteem and therefore a psychological problem that can have many causes.

Social school fears, on the other hand, result from dealing with classmates, which can be very difficult at this age. The young people look for their place in society and the weaker are excluded. Aggression, peer pressure and the need to belong result in bullying and exclusion. Such a tense relationship with the other students is the cause of school anxiety for many young people.

Is school fear and school phobia the same thing?

School fear and school phobia are not the same thing. The term school phobia is misleading, as it does not mean the fear of school, but the fear of separation from the caregivers (e.g. to the parents).

A school-phobic child therefore does not want to go to school because it would then be separated from the family and not because they are afraid of school. Thus, a school phobia, in which separation anxiety is the problem, differs from a school fear that is triggered by school.

Read the next article on the topic of everyday school life at this point: School year