Minna Kruus, a psychologist with youth mental health support organization Peaasi.ee, told "R2 päev" that the anxiety should be taken seriously, as roots could include bullying and other real concerns.

Estimates put the number of returning school pupils experiencing significant anxiety at up to half, though this relates to the entire school year and not simply the end of the summer holidays period. Anxiety specifically related to the start of the academic year has not been measured separately, Kruus said, though what is known is that the number of calls to the child helpline on 116 111 see a spike in late August, indicating a rise in anxiety levels among school-age children.

This is the case "especially with younger children, they may not even realize it themselves," Kruus noted. "It may manifest as more frequent stomach aches, feeling unwell, being down, or perhaps difficulty falling asleep," she explained.

This is not to say a certain degree of anticipation or of being unsettled on the eve of the new school year is unnatural, Kruus went on.

All parents should talk about this with their child and, where needed, relate their own school experiences. If parents can find out what exactly is bothering the child, it can clarify whether it is simply ordinary back-to-school anxiety or something more concerning.

"Many children may actually have a very real reason. There is something at school that causes greater discomfort, perhaps fear," she noted. Bullying is sometimes the root cause.

If a child is dreading the start of the new school year, a parent can help break the problem down into smaller chunks, Kruus noted. Together, they can think through back-to-school routines taking in sleeping, eating, and other everyday activities, as well as study and school activities. A family or household with more than one child in school might also do well to hold a home meeting, to discuss what kind of support each person needs, the expert added.

When a child flatly states they do not want to go back to school, their feelings should be empathized with. However, according to Kruus, avoiding school outright is not an ideal solution, she said, and magnifies the issue. "In that case, the feeling of anxiety only grows, or it sort of wins that battle," she said, stressing a feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway approach. "Anxiety is with us, but then again our courage is with us too," Kruus put it.

The start of the new school year can bring stress to parents too. Kruus said caregivers should try to regulate their own feelings and not pass on their worries to their child. They can certainly tell the child that they, too, feel anxious about the start of school, but not stray too far beyond that; parents should never start burdening the child with their own concerns and anxieties, Kruus said.

"They are still the adult, who bears even greater responsibility for their feelings than the child does," she stressed.

Young people of junior high school age through to young adults (ages 12 to 26) can approach Peaasi.ee for help. The organization can teach skills for coping with anxiety and help with lifestyle choices. The Peaasi.ee site in English is here.

The child helpline is 116 111. English-speaking operators are available.

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