Schulstress triggers abdominal pain

Behind abdominal or headache in school-age children often hide problems in the school

18.02.2011

Children suffering from school problems and stress often complain of abdominal pain and headaches. Behind the physical complaints are often problems of children in the school. Prof. Frank Häßler of the German Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy in Berlin refers to this.

Similar to adults, children's problems also manifest with physical symptoms. Behind the headache, nausea or abdominal pain often hide stress and problems in school. If children have psychosomatic complaints, it is good to openly address the child, as the psychotherapist Prof. Häßler of the German Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry advises. Other stress symptoms may include sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating or back pain. All of these complaints can also have a psychological cause. The complaints may indicate school stress.

Half of all schoolchildren are under stress
According to recent research, around half of the school-age children surveyed stated that they were suffering from stress and under pressure to perform. The growing pressure to perform and the pursuit of good grades obviously causes problems for many students. Parents should therefore teach their children that they are not alone with their problems. Allegations and further pressure are contraindicated. The children should rather be given a sense of support.

Problems with the teachers
Not infrequently, children's stress situations are triggered by problems with the teachers. A nationwide Forsa survey of around 1000 parents had come to the conclusion that every fifth child (almost 20 percent) feels unfairly treated by his teacher. The problems get bigger as the schoolchild gets older. Because the survey had also shown that almost every third teenager between 15 and 18 years of age feels unfairly treated by the teacher. Teaching would often put too much pressure on the children. This resulted in the survey commissioned by Techniker Krankenkasse.

Fear of rejection and social phobias
Many children also suffer from the fear of failure, or show signs of social phobia. Those affected have developed a reluctance to get in touch with classmates. In many cases, negative experiences and teasing of classmates preceded. The children are then often irritated in such cases and can not fall asleep in the evening. It is important to give the children the feeling that they can also make mistakes and that weaknesses are part of life. The parents should show that you can solve even serious problems and that „Request help“ there is no weakness. If no improvement could be achieved, it makes sense to visit a child and youth therapist. Conversations can be used to convey constructive coping strategies. (Sb)

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Bavarian students are under stress
GEW expert warns of too high pressure to perform
Every second student suffers from stress

Picture: Gerd Altmann