How many students in the UK experience EBSNA?
%
of 12-to-18 year-olds avoid school because of anxiety
It’s hard to know exactly how many children and young people miss school because of EBSNA, because this isn’t usually recorded.
But a recent survey by the youth charity stem4 found that nearly 3 in 10 secondary and college students are avoiding school because of anxiety.
Before the pandemic, absences linked to EBSNA were just 1–2%.
EBSNA happens more often in older students, especially those in secondary school or college. Younger children can experience EBSNA too, but it might show up as crying, holding on to their parents at drop-off, or often saying they feel sick.