The teen suffering from school phobia may not be able to tell you why the prospect of going to school is so frightening. School phobia can develop as the result of severe depression, which immobilizes the teenager and makes him feel that he can't possibly cope with the pressures and challenges of school. It can also develope as the result of an escalation of a number of fears and stressors. These combine to make school seems an impossible burden to a shy, sensitive, insecure adolescent. Dr. Bettie B. Younges conducted a study in which she examined a common student stress factors that contribute to depression, shyness, phobias and hostility to authority.
Some teens become disinclined to go to school in order to avoid a certain class.
Kim, for example, began developing headaches and missing several days of school a weeks soon after begining her sophomore year of high school. The major factor behind her school phobia seemed to be a difficult and demanding geometry teacher. She was so afraid of this nun, who yelled at student if they gave wrong answers or asked questions. She didn't dare ask questions. She was so afraid of getting yelled at for making a mistake that she avoided going to school whenever possible, which meant that she got further and further behind.