School phobia what is, symptoms, causes and treatment

At specific times, boys and girls put excuses so as not to attend school. Sometimes, they say they feel bad physically going to a headache or stomach discomfort. ¿How many times a child shows his disinterest for attending school for having fought with a classmate or a teacher? The truth is that there are variables that influence when determining the absence of a child to an educational establishment.

In these situations, many parents are usually worried when this behavior persists over time and there is a great disorientation in them as a result of ignoring the reasons. The reality is that there are children who present a great fear of going to school and this brings various unfavorable consequences in their daily lives. Having overwhelming and relevant data on this subject can provide us with tools that help us address this problem. ¿You want to know more about this? In this psychology-online article we will provide information about the School phobia: What is, symptoms, causes and treatment.

1. What is school phobia
2. Symptoms of school phobia
3. Causes of school phobia
4. School phobia treatment

What is school phobia

When we talk about school phobia, we are referring to an anxiety disorder in which a Excessive and irrational fear to attend a school. According to the DSM-V^[1], The school phobia is within the category of specific phobias because this clinical picture is related to the school situation.

Characteristics of the school phobia

If we take into account the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-V, the characteristics of the school phobia are:

• Fear and/or anxiety Faced with any aspect related to school.
• The object and/or the specific situation are triggered of fear or anxiety.
• Avoidance of anxiety or fear situations.
• Fear and/or disproportionate anxiety to the real danger that represents a situation or object.
• The duration is six months or more.
• Deterioration of the work, social and family area.

Symptoms of school phobia

¿How to identify school phobia? When determining a clinical picture of social phobia, it is important to take into account the demonstrations present children With the suffer. Following this circumstance, we will place the main symptoms of the school phobia:

• Prolonged crying.
• Screams.
• Headache.
• Stomach ache.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Difficulty getting to sleep.
• Diurnal enuresis.
• Sadness.
• Irritability.
• Avoiding school situations.
• Anxiety.

While these symptoms can be found in any boy or girl who does not want to attend school, the truth is that this does not imply that we are facing a school phobia picture. Given this, It is necessary that the diagnosis be made by a health professional, since he will be in charge of evaluating the patient's conditions and supervising clinical evolution.

Causes of school phobia

One of the most important aspects to consider resides in the causes that originate this school anxiety disorder, since they can give us a guideline about the most effective ways to address the problem. In the following points we will develop the main causes of the school phobia.

Environmental factors linked to school

In general, certain situations of the past may have influence on behaviors on the present. In the case of boys and girls with school phobia, it is possible that it has occurred following have lived unpleasant moments, with both teachers and other classmates.

By way of examples, verbal and/or physical fights can be mentioned, abuse from other people, sexual abuse, difficulties in social relationships or school demands, among others.

Environmental factors linked to home

The school phobia can be caused by Changes of constant homes, fights between parents or due to exacerbated demands towards the minor, among other factors. These variables produce low self -esteem in the boy or girl who derives in great withdrawal towards school attendance. In these situations, we recommend the following activities to strengthen self -esteem in children.

School phobia treatment

¿How to help a child with school phobia? Despite the particularities that the school phobia entails, there are a number of treatments that have presented good efficacy in approaching this problem. Next, we will describe how to help a child with school phobia:

Psychological therapy

At present, many therapies help the child to develop else In the school environment, since the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that arise in situations that trigger anxiety and/or anguish are worked.

On the one hand, short duration therapies focus on problem solving in a limited period of sessions, in which various strategies are carried out that provide tools to the person. On the other hand, the therapies of longer duration focus their objective on placing the origin of people's symptoms. This results in the boy or girl can act in another way in front of school phobia.

Parent orientation

If you wonder how to intervene in school phobia, one of the most effective methods is to offer workshops for parents of boys and girls suffering from school phobia, in which tools are provided that enable a communicative improvement and allow improving the educational experience of the child.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to School phobia: What is, symptoms, causes and treatment, We recommend that you enter our clinical psychology category.

1. American Psychiatry Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-V). Arlington: Pan -American Medical Editorial.