SCHOOL PHOBIA

SCHOOL PHOBIA

  School phobia refers to absolute refusal by the child to go to school. The major underlying factor is anxiety about separation from parents, most often the mother. The parents are responsible for giving the child an impression that the school is a place to be dreaded and that they won’t indeed mind his staying at home. There usually is a fat-too-close tie between the child and the parents. The mother is overindulgent, overprotective and domineering type and the father is ineffective and disinterested.

  Such school factors as bullying or teasing, unreasonable punishment or dislike of the teacher may also contribute the problem.

  Treatment consists in weaning the child and the parents from each other with the help of a child psychiatrist and family physician. The cooperation of the school teachers should be obtained as and when warranted.