Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Evren TUFAN, Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Diseases, gave important information about the fears that our children who will step into school life for the first time may experience, their reasons and the precautions to be taken. Every Mother and Father definitely experiences excitement, anxiety and fear for this exciting day of their little ones. Since we, adults, are conscious about school, we can eliminate these worries and fears very quickly and easily. But remember! “SCHOOL” will be an unknown experience for children.
WHY DO CHILDREN HAVE FEAR OF SCHOOL?
The basis of school fear lies in the child's intense anxiety and anxiety about separation from parents or another caregiver. If these anxieties and concerns are at a level that affects the child's daily life, it is called "separation anxiety". Separation anxiety, especially in young children, may manifest itself as avoiding being away from the mother or the person they are attached to, or from home for school. Not every fear of school or reluctance to go to school may be due to separation anxiety. Separation anxiety may be at the root of 75% of school fears that are long-lasting, severe and affect the child's peer relationships, daily life and school attendance. The basis of severe, long-lasting school fears may also be the anxiety of not being accepted by other children or the teacher, called "social phobia", or concerns about not being successful enough and not being able to meet the expectations of the school/teacher, called "performance anxiety". This may come to the fore, especially in advanced grades, when expectations about the child's success and central exams begin. Therefore, it should be taken into consideration that there is no single reason for fear of school, and that the child's personality structure, family approach, mother-child relationship, and school-related factors may play a role in this fear.
Families may also unconsciously reflect their own fears on their children or provide discipline. In order to make the teacher angry with the child, etc. They may choose to warn with threats such as. On the other hand, a teacher who is strict and focused on academic success, a child who is more shy than his classmates and may be the target of peer bullying, etc. features It can also exacerbate school fear. Fear of school sometimes occurs when there is a change in the child's life. The child starts a new school, has a long-term illness and stays away from school for a long time, or has an important family situation, which also forms the basis for school fear. Traumatic psychological experiences also pose a risk for school phobia. Factors such as difficult separation experiences and deprivations in the family, recurrent hospitalizations of the mother or father, removal of the child from home due to inability to care (caregiver, relative, etc.), existence of divorce, marital conflicts, death, economic difficulties, crowded families and psychopathology in the family also affect children's fear of school.
What can be done to prevent the new child starting school from experiencing school fear?
Before starting school, children's school maturity should be checked, that is, whether they are mentally and socially ready for school. It is necessary to research well whether they are not, and kindergarten classes offer an ideal environment for this process. In kindergarten classes, children go through a transition period to a rule-based and education-oriented life. It is very important to support children's individualization in the pre-school period and to provide guidance to increase self-confidence and social communication skills from an early age. In this way, children can be better prepared for school.
Actions such as positive and exciting conversations about going to school during the previous summer period and telling children about the positive developments that will take place at school will be useful. In addition, children who are just starting school will be more interested in equipment such as new bags, pencils, and aprons than in going to school and receiving a good education. Considering these areas of interest; Colorful books can be offered to children that they can read in the future. Additionally, cooperation with the teacher is very important in the first year of school. If children have fears and anxieties before starting school, if they are excessively attached to their mothers before and after, and/or if their fears develop in pre-school nursery or kindergarten, they must first cooperate with the teacher on this issue.
Children who are afraid of school What are the general symptoms? How can Mom and Dad observe?
School fear slows down It may develop slowly or begin suddenly. It is noticed that most of the children who show fear of school do not want to separate from their mothers when they are only 2-3 years old, they follow their mothers step by step at home and do not want their mothers to be alone and do not leave them alone. The main symptom of school phobia is that the child is afraid of school and does not want to go to school. However, other symptoms include not wanting to leave the house, crying, looking distressed and fearful, sweating, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, facial discoloration, sore throat, back pain. Pain, joint pain, chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, blurred vision, difficulty walking, fever and frequent urination may also occur. Headache and stomach ache of unknown cause, which occur especially in the mornings on school days and go away when the child stays at home, are among the most common symptoms.
Fear of school either begins with the child going to school for the first time, continues uninterruptedly, or is caused by illnesses and holidays. It can then be seen as reluctance to continue school. Sometimes, a child who did not have any problems before may develop a fear of school after a change of school or teacher, when he is scolded by the teacher, after a homework/exam that he is afraid he will not succeed in, after a long illness or surgery, or when there is an accident or death at home. In school fears where timely support is not received, fears and anxieties spread to other areas of the child's daily life, and the child may not leave the house without the parents or play with his friends.
The child may be trying to attract attention -or- it may be true How do we know if the child is experiencing a psychological problem?
The distinction between temporary troubles and real psychological problems is basically made on the basis of the duration and severity of the symptoms and complaints, and whether they affect the child's daily functions. It should be noted that school fears are not usually caused by "attention-seeking" but, as mentioned above, may arise from many reasons, especially the inability to separate from the caregiver. School fears that last long, are severe, disrupt family order, and affect the child's functionality are not within normal limits. In this case, first of all, it is necessary to find out what may cause the child's fear of school. p;situations should be addressed and then an attempt is made to solve the child's difficulty in an appropriate way.
What precautions should be taken? In what situations should we consider getting support?
Basic measures to prevent the development of school fear are stated under heading number two. If a child with school phobia cannot attend school due to his/her fear, has difficulties in peer relations, family relations, has fears other than school fear, or has any other psychiatric symptoms, support should be sought.
The behavior of the parents and What should be the attitude?
The aim should be to ensure consistency, calmness and uniformity in the attitudes of parents of children who are afraid of school towards their children. In particular, the dependency between mother and child should be reduced and the child's autonomy should be supported. For this purpose, starting from pre-school, activities in which the child can be left alone can be planned, the child can be rewarded for activities in which he can be alone and especially separated from the mother, activities that he can do with his peers can be planned and his participation in these activities can be encouraged. In addition, the parent should try to control his own concerns, if any, about his child. Parents should receive appropriate support for any problems they face or in their marital relationship. Such practices are also necessary to increase parental involvement in the child's treatment. Because it is known that the mental disorder in the parent negatively affects the child's treatment.
What should be the roles of family members?
First of all, we reiterate the importance of parents showing consistency and uniformity in their attitudes towards children. We should point out. Families should determine whether their children are mentally and socially ready for school before starting school. It is also recommended that families develop and support their children's individualization, self-confidence and social communication skills during the preschool period. Before starting school, one should make positive and exciting speeches about the school and tell the children about the positive developments that will take place at school. Families should carefully identify the situations that may cause the fear of school mentioned above and take precautions against them. Also, family Teacher collaboration is crucial in the first year of school. Families should avoid accepting or overly punitive attitudes towards a child who is afraid of school. Moreover; School guidance service, physicians working in the field of child and adolescent mental health and diseases should collaborate with psychologists experienced in their field.
The most common mistakes?
One of the most important mistakes is not allowing children to become individuals in the pre-term period and making them overly dependent on themselves. Approaches made without carefully analyzing the situations that may cause children's fear of school are not of much benefit. Therefore, attempts made without analyzing the reason well may be wrong. Adopting an overly strict, inconsistent or accepting attitude towards a child with school fear is another mistake we encounter in clinical practice.
What are the problems that may occur if the child's fear is not noticed or ignored?
Most children with school phobia are diagnosed with mental disorders, and it is known that those diagnosed with more than one diagnosis. Additionally, fear of school can be a symptom of many mental disorders. Long-term follow-up studies of children with school phobia have shown that they have higher rates of mental disorders or are more likely to need psychological help than the general population or control groups. Studies show that some of the school refusal cases can overcome their fear of school with treatment, but some cannot continue school despite treatment. It is known that the most important consequence of school phobia if left untreated is not being able to complete school. In addition, these children pose a risk for mental disorders in adulthood, they are involved in criminal behavior because they cannot go through an appropriate education life, their attachment to their family continues, and even they do not form a family structure themselves; It has been shown in studies that those who form a family structure create a family structure that includes addiction in the same way.
What level does it reach if Psychological Support is not provided?
As stated above,
Read: 0
