Atharva, a four year old child would wail at the sight of the school bus. He would scream “Mama please don’t send me to school. I hate going to school. No, I will not go to school.” His mother had to wrest him out of her arms and hand him over to the care taker in the school bus. He would cry pleading his mothers “please don’t go. I want to go home.”
His mom realized that there was something wrong with his otherwise cheerful son. The mere mention of school was making him irritable. He had started bed wetting, something he had never done before till he joined school.
It has been seen that like Atharva, most children object going to school at one time or another. However, parents should be concerned if their child appears depressed and scared and regularly repeats that he does not like to go to school.
School phobia also known as school refusal describes an anxiety behavior in children who have a persistent fear of going to school.
What causes school phobia or school refusal?
Children refuse going to school because they have to spend a lot of time away from home. They miss their parents and are faced with new challenges and pressure in a completely new setting.
Some children face difficulty staying away from home. It has been seen that parents are generally over protective; as a result children lack the confidence and the ability to cope with school life, which leads to school phobia. It has been noted that a child with no siblings, the youngest child or a chronically ill child show higher risk of school phobia or school refusal.
What are the signs and symptoms of school phobia or school refusal?
The fact to be noted is that school refusal symptoms usually occur on school working days, but are absent during holidays or weekends. The most obvious signs of school refusal are:
- Younger children generally refuse to attend school and they cry, cling or have temper tantrum upon separation from parents.
- Kids demonstrate excessive fear, depression, anxiety and are unable to cope with emotions when told to go to school.
- An adolescent who misses the bus every day.
- Children generally complain of frequent stomach aches, vomiting, dizziness or headaches (when it is time to go to school) that cannot be attributed to a physical ailment.
What are the causes of school refusal or school phobia?
Besides having a difficulty staying away from home there are other factors that can cause school avoidance.
A) Home issues:
- Illness in the child may be one of the reasons why a child refuses to attend school.
- In younger children, jealousy over a new brother or sister at home might be the trigger.
- Events such as divorce or separation in the family, moving to a new house can cause fear of going to school.
- Single child may enjoy undivided attention from parents and grandparents when not in school and hence resists going to school.
B) School issues
- Teasing by other children
- Fear of failure
- Learning difficulties or disabilities
- Anxiety over toileting in a public bathroom
These are a few common reasons that cause school phobia or school refusal in children.
