Back in August, we wrote about how to talk to your kids about the back-to-school plan. It’s been 7 months since we made those suggestions and over a year since students left the classrooms, sports fields, and band practice halls for the first time. It’s no surprise that there is a lot going on for kids and teens right now. Many communities are allowing children to return to classrooms and activities full time; yet another transition students must face.
In this two part series, we include ways to identify back-to-school anxiety and stress in kids in addition to providing reasons why they might be stressed. Next week, be sure to come back and read about practical tips for helping kids cope.
Reasons why kids might be stressed
When it comes to anxiety and stress about school, there are a wide variety of contributing factors. Transitions in general can be more challenging for kids who already struggle with anxiety or depression. As adults, it may be difficult to remember or relate to why this transition is hard. Here are some of the common reasons:
- Academic pressure
- Separating from parents
- Making and keeping friends
- Self-esteem and body image concerns
- Hormone and body changes that naturally occur before, during, and after puberty
- Navigating school schedules, tight hallways, and cafeterias
- Social media pressure after a break or reprieve
Covid-19 and stress in kids
Kids and teens are dealing with the additional stress of the pandemic on top of the aforementioned common back-to-school concerns. In our clinical practice, we are seeing an increase in anxiety, stress, depression, and uncertainty. We can look to recent research to corroborate this anecdotal evidence. In Europe, 86% of parents reported changes in their children including: difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep, and a decrease in physical activity. A study of schoolchildren in China found an increase in both anxiety and depression compared to pre-pandemic rates. And a national survey of high school students last Spring found nearly one-third of students reported feeling depressed while over half reported feeling uncertainty about the future. It is important for parents, educators, and clinical providers to be aware of this data in order to spot the anxiety in kids and teens.
What does it look like?
When kids and teens are anxious, they may not say so. Anxiety can be a challenging emotion to identify and label. Here are some common indicators that your child might be anxious.
- Complaints of stomach aches or headaches
- Changes in sleeping and/or eating
- Appearing restless or fidgety
- Expressing negative thoughts or worries (often extreme or irrational)
- Shows irritability or anger more than usual
There’s no doubt about it, many children (and parents!) will benefit from life starting to look more like pre-pandemic times. But, some kids (and adults) will experience an increase in anxiety and stress when asked to make yet another transition without certainty of timelines or outcomes. It is important to recognize the signs of this distress and have an understanding of contributing factors.
Stay tuned for next week’s post where we outline concrete ways to help kids and teens cope with school-related anxiety and stress.