Almost every child will see school as a source of worry at some point in their education. Whether it’s difficult course content in a new subject, or exams coming up, school can present healthy challenges which sometimes makes students temporarily stressed or anxious.
But if we’re talking about a reluctance, dislike or outright refusal of going to school, we’re touching on a greater problem than that: school anxiety.
School anxiety is a problem that affects a concerning number of Australian students. Thankfully, Anglicare Victoria is here to help, with several services available to Victorian students. Here, Anglicare Victoria discusses the causes, symptoms and treatment for school anxiety.
Causes of school anxiety
Most of the time, school anxiety is caused by personal problems occurring in the school or at home. These include:
- Separation anxiety
- Problems experienced at school such as bullying, peer conflict, isolation, poor relationships with teachers, learning difficulties, etc.
- Fear of a new situation – if your child is starting a new year level or starting their first day at a new school, it’s normal for them to feel anxious
- Fear of failure at school, or worrying about subject content and homework being really hard
- Fear of losing a parent due to issues occurring in the home, or parent illness
Symptoms of school anxiety
Everyone experiences anxiety differently, and this includes children with school anxiety. Some children become teary, some become moody and others try their hardest not to show any symptoms of school anxiety at all. There are several possible symptoms of school anxiety:
- Expressing a fear or dislike of going to school
- Being worried frequently and needing to be reassured
- Psychosomatic symptoms which occur before going to school, such as nausea, stomach aches, shortness of breath or headaches
- Crying and being reluctant to leave a parent (separation anxiety)
- Unusual quietness
- Problems with sleeping such as complaints about being unable to fall asleep, nightmares or trouble sleeping alone
Treating school anxiety
Although school anxiety is particularly concerning for parents and carers, there are several ways to treat school anxiety. Encouraging open communication with your child, and asking them to share their thoughts and feelings about school is the first step. Seeing a child psychologist can have tremendous benefits too.
Another service for treating school anxiety is Anglicare Victoria’s Meridian Youth and Family Therapy program. Our Meridian program provides short, medium and long term support to help assist with a myriad of student-related issues, including school withdrawal, bullying, anxiety, behavioural problems, grief and loss, social isolation and many others.
Anglicare Victoria is here to help
Every student deserves to feel confident and welcomed at their place of education. The team at Anglicare Victoria is here to help your young person overcome their reluctance towards attending school, offering therapeutic services to help your child feel themselves at school. Contact Anglicare Victoria if you’d like to know more about how we can help you.
