By Jennifer Fiorillo
Mental Health
Jennifer Fiorillo
The return to school after a two-month summer hiatus can be one of the most stressful and anxiety-provoking times for kids. The thought of meeting new teachers, reuniting with classmates and preparing to take on daily homework assignments is enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed.
The concern about the transition is not the initial stress and anxiety that goes along with change and going back to school. The concern is with the potential impact on learning, development and overall mental health in the longer-term should the anxiety morph into something more serious.
Anxiety in school-aged children is a growing problem, and recognizing when it becomes persistent or extreme is important in supporting a successful school year and positive mental health.
Parents can do a number of things to assist with a healthy transition back to school. Some of these strategies can involve engaging with teachers and interacting with classmates before the first day of school.
Visits to the new classroom and the school before the first day can help students become more familiar with the environment and their surroundings. Starting the back-to-school routine early can be beneficial to establish structure. This could mean waking up earlier, preparing healthy lunches the night before or carving out time for homework. Parents should also acknowledge their child’s fears about going back to school and reassure them that feelings of fear, worry and being overwhelmed are normal.
Recognizing the signs that anxiety has become ongoing or more severe in school or at home is important to help engage with the appropriate support to help manage the underlying issues. School avoidance or refusal, poor performance, an inability to socialize, physical symptoms such as headaches and stomachaches and frequent trips to the bathroom or school nurse can all be indications that there is something more serious going on. Children with anxiety may also cling to parents and exhibit disruptive behavior.
Understanding the source of the anxiety can help to resolve the problem, especially if it revolves around bullying, being socially isolated or something else going on in school or at home.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 25 percent of adolescents between the age of 13 and 18 have anxiety, and almost 6 percent have a lifetime prevalence of severe anxiety disorder. Childhood anxiety disorders affect one in eight children, or 12.5 percent.
There are a number of factors that impact a child’s mental health that can involve family history, community, social determinants of health and adverse childhood events that cause trauma and lead to other mental health issues.
Schools are becoming more equipped with identifying anxiety and mental health issues in students and assisting with the facilitation of treatment. There are initiatives that seek to educate school personnel on trauma screening, mental health first aid and other models that will assist with the proper identification of potential issues. Support for clinics that offer behavioral health services in the school setting can increase the likelihood that children will access care if they are struggling.
These strategies are a step in the right direction toward supporting the mental health needs of our youth and addressing problems as they arise.
Jennifer Fiorillo, MBA, MPH is the president and CEO of Bridges Healthcare in Milford, and may be reached at Jfiorillo@bridgesmilford.org.