As August rolls around each year, it signifies the beginning of a new school year, promising a fresh start to learn and grow with peers. A new school year offers room to make new memories, new friendships, and an opportunity to pursue academic goals. Despite this, some children may experience feelings of anxiety that come with starting a new school year. The familiarity and comfort of the previous school year aren’t to be found when having a fresh start each August as the new school year approaches.
A 2023 American Psychological Association (APA) study reported that about 75 percent of students reported feeling significant stress about returning to school. This is an increase from 2022, when 68 percent expressed similar concerns. The primary sources of stress reported include academic pressure, social dynamics, and extracurricular activities (as cited in Landry Therapy and Wellness, 2024, p. 1). Such insight is essential to note when understanding how anxiety can manifest into school avoidance, which isn’t to be confused with truancy. One can define truancy as skipping school without a valid excuse. Meanwhile, school avoidance is when a student is experiencing intense anxiety or fear about attending school, which results in chronic absenteeism. Various factors can lead to school avoidance, including bullying, school anxiety, traumatic events, and the expected academic pressures (ColumbiaDoctors, 2024, p. 2). Factors of this nature are important to keep in mind when understanding how feelings of anxiety can come into play, which can impact students to a great degree.
So, school avoidance can present withdrawal along with emotional distress and behavioral dysregulation around the time school starts. Physical symptoms, including headaches and stomach aches, can improve on weekends or holidays when one is removed from the school environment. Despite symptoms showing improvement, distance from school only exacerbates the underlying condition (ColumbiaDoctors, 2024, p. 2). This sense of anxiety can also manifest in needing reassurance or repeatedly asking questions about whether one’s friends are in their class or if there is someone to sit with at lunch, for example. Such concern can be present in terms of significant changes in one’s sleeping patterns, resulting in one having difficulty falling asleep or waking up with worries during the night (Burch, 2018, p. 2). This information is significant when thinking of how this anxiety can take a more prominent toll on students than parents realize. It can be challenging for students to make sense of their anxiety when attempting to alleviate such feelings, especially if they feel that they don’t have sufficient support.
This being said, more can be done on a parent’s part to ensure they are there for their children experiencing back-to-school anxiety. Parents can start by being curious about what is causing their child to feel anxious. Despite some children feeling excited about the upcoming school year, they can often experience anxiety about various things before school starts. Such things of concern can include fitting in with peers, whether their peers or teachers will be nice, if one will perform well academically, and how new aspects of changing schools or classes for the first time will impact them. This step can be helpful as parents make progress to ensure they don’t assume what exactly is causing their child to feel anxious. Some children may not be able to put their anxiety into words or could use time to themselves. When children feel comfortable, they can open up to parents, which presents the need to do so without judgment. Parents can use this opportunity to guide their child in finding ways to cope with their anxiety (Soenning & Wolf, p. 2).
This lets parents allow their children to share their feelings about school starting soon. Questions about how one feels about the upcoming school year can make children feel heard or validated. Some children may have a harder time labeling their feelings, which presents an opportunity for parents to assist while understanding where they are coming from (Soenning & Wolf, p. 3). It is crucial to emphasize that validating one’s feelings can create a strong means of communication between parent and child. If support is established, children can feel more inclined to share their anxious thoughts without fear of their parents not taking the time to see their perspective. The ability to provide a safe, supportive environment for children to share their feelings of anxiety concerning school can make all the difference.
One last thing to keep in mind is that parents should take the time to model their anxiety for their children. There is an opportunity for parents to utilize their anxiety as a way to demonstrate healthy coping skills and positive self-talk through their actions and anxiety management. Demonstrating confidence in this means of management can aid in maintaining a positive outlook for one’s child. For example, parents can explain their anxiety about an upcoming work meeting and their feelings to their child. Then, the parent can plan to combat the discomfort by spending prep time gathering materials or practicing their speech. This can culminate in positive self-talk the morning of the meeting, where the parent can be confident in their skillset (Larsen, 2023, pp. 3-4). Parents who healthily model their anxiety management can serve as an excellent reference for children when attempting to do the same. This is something to highlight when understanding how parents can play a significant role in how their child learns how to make sense of their anxiety in a healthy, constructive manner.
Furthermore, back-to-school anxiety can significantly affect students to varying degrees, which prompts the need for more attention. Parents can take the time to help their children work towards healthy anxiety management in a supportive environment. With support from one’s parents, such an environment can make all the difference and allow for a more positive, confident outlook on the upcoming school year. Students shouldn’t have to feel anxious about returning to school; instead, they should be excited for what is yet to come.
~ Lauren Montoya
Lauren Montoya is a Southern California native with a background in sociology and liberal studies. Lauren is passionate about animal welfare, mental health, and the arts.
References
American Psychological Association (APA). (n.d.). Stress in America 2023.
Burch, J. M., PhD. (2018, August 23). Back to school anxiety. Harvard Health.
ColumbiaDoctors. (2024, March 27). When School Anxiety Becomes School Avoidance.
Soenning, S., & Wolf, F. (2024, August 19). How to Handle Back-to-School Anxiety. Psychology Today.