School Refusal
What it is and how understanding why, can help get kids back to school.
It’s the start of the academic school year once again, and we are returning to the important topic of school related anxiety. As previously discussed in one of our earlier blog posts (https://www.grahampsychology.com.au/blog/back-to-school-blues), anxiety in both adults and children can increase around this time of year. Transitional age periods of children aged 5-7 and 11-14 can often experience peaked anxiety levels due to big environmental changes during these periods of time. Sometimes, children may begin to withdraw and protest attending school.
School refusal is typically defined as a youth’s reluctance to attend school, leading to prolonged absences, accompanied by emotional distress surrounding going to school (including somatic complaints, anxiety, or depressed mood). This is not a formal psychological diagnosis, but a description of a behavioural experience. Comparative to truancy, where emotional distress is not a common sign and often parents are unaware of school absences, parents are aware that school refusal is occurring and have made attempts to secure the child’s attendance at school. Common signs of school refusal can include struggling to get out of bed and persistent complaints of tiredness and fatigue, dawdling and tearfulness before school, with increased difficulties of returning to school following weekends and holidays.
So, how can we understand why a child may be refusing to go to school? Sometimes, a child may have had a negative experience in the previous year, such as bullying or lacking social friendships, which may increase their fears of returning to school. Difficulties within the home, including family illness or fracturing of family structures, can also contribute to a child’s refusal to attend school. Commonly, children with either anxiety or depressive disorders may often experience school refusal as a result of their disorder.
Understanding the reasons as to why a child may be refusing to go to school provides a greater insight to how this refusal may be a functional tool for them. For example, is the child aiming to escape the environment of school due to lack of social relationships? Or are they aiming to receive attention from significant others (i.e parents or siblings)? Working with the child by speaking with them about their school experience can be a valuable way to explore why this behaviour may be occurring. By understanding the function of the behaviour, the appropriate treatment plan can be developed to increase school attendance. This is often done in collaboration with parents, the school and a child’s psychologist to achieve the overall goal of reducing school refusal.
If you find you would like some extra support or information, please feel free to contact us on 8838-8687 or book an appointment online and come in to see one of our friendly Psychologists.