No matter how old you are, change prompts anxious feelings. We’re actually wired to be on high alert when the situation is unfamiliar. So it’s no surprise that the start of a new school year can make children and teens anxious.

Anxiety about school sometimes takes the form of headaches and stomachaches in the morning that kids say make them too sick to go to school. If your child develops a pattern of these symptoms, it’s important to get your child checked out by a pediatrician; you don’t want to overlook a medical problem.

But if the pattern persists, going to school may be the problem.

The most important thing a parent can do when children resist going is to continue sending them to school anyway. This may be difficult, but if we allow children to avoid situations that make them anxious, we can inadvertently reinforce that those situations are indeed dangerous or scary.

But if a child continues to complain about physical symptoms, it’s also important to investigate what might be causing anxiety. It could be sign of an anxiety disorder, or another problem at school. For instance:

不管你年紀多大,改變總是會使人產生焦慮的感覺。實際上,我們對不熟悉的事物會有高度警惕,所以新學年、新開始使兒童與青少年感到焦慮是正常不過的事。

早上因上學而產生的焦慮情緒有時會使孩子身體出現狀況,例如他們會感到頭痛或肚痛,并聲稱痛致無法上學。如果你的孩子有以上症狀,請不要忽略問題,並盡快找兒科醫生作檢查。

若果類似情況持續出現,問題可能源於上學本身。

家長要注意的是,盡管孩子有所抗拒,也要堅持送他上學,這可能有一定的難度。但若果我們容許孩子逃避這些讓他們產生焦慮的事物,就會間接地肯定了這些事物的可怕性及危險性。

不過,如果孩子繼續抱怨身體有不適症狀,查明焦慮的源頭也是相當重要的,因爲孩子有可能已經出現焦慮症,又或者問題源于校内發生的其他事。例如:

  • 強迫症的兒童逃避上學,可能因爲難以在校内管理自己的焦慮情緒

  • 被欺凌的兒童害怕上學,可能因為欺負他的人就在學校

  • 分離焦慮症的兒童害怕分開後,可能有可怕的事會發生在母親身上

  • 未確診的學習障礙兒童,有可能會為了避免羞恥和尷尬而不想上學