School phobia is the cause of the child’s distress, tension and restlessness at school. Any restlessness or tension can be defined as school phobia, and it is the situation in which the child reacts exaggeratedly compared to his peers.
A child starting school may not feel safe at first because they are separated from their parents or caregivers. When this insecurity is reinforced by parental attitudes or negative school environment, school phobia may occur.
If there are problems between the mother and father, especially in cases of physical or emotional violence by the father against the mother, the child may not want to leave his mother and may want to stay with him.
If there has been illness, migration, moving, death of a relative in the family,
If the child’s school or teacher has changed,
If he has been away from school for a long time due to vacation or other reasons,
If the child has had problems at school with the teacher, school staff or friends
The child has been abused at school by an adult or friend
If the parents are perfectionists and do more than they can
What Are the Characteristics of Children with School Phobia
They may be worried.
They can be socially and emotionally sensitive.
They can be easily influenced by events and people.
They may care too much about the feelings of the people they are communicating with.
They may have trouble eating and sleeping.
There may be crying and fearful behaviors during sleep at night.
Vicious, can be aggressive.
There may be palpitations.
May experience dry mouth.
Sweating, trembling, numbness may occur.
May experience frequent urination, nausea, abdominal pain.
Suggestions for Parents:
School phobia is one of the situations that children may experience. So try to stay calm.
Do not blame or blame your child for his/her feelings and thoughts.
Don’t put him in a difficult situation by explaining his situation around other people.
Don’t try to solve school phobia with punishment. Statements like “If you cry again in the morning, I won’t buy you a toy” will not solve your child’s school phobia, on the contrary, they will increase his anger towards you and the school.
Do not compare your child with other children or their older brother/sister.
Be sure to communicate with the teacher and the school administration. You will get through this process together.
Give your child the opportunity to talk about his or her distress.
As soon as you see that you cannot overcome your child’s school phobia with your own efforts, seek professional support before the situation becomes more serious.
