Qualitative study reveals severe systemic disruption and relationship strain in parents of school-avoidant children, highlighting the need for collaborative support.
School avoidance is commonly associated with child anxiety, yet parents’ experiences of navigating these difficulties in primary school contexts remain comparatively underrepresented. The aim of this study was to examine how parents interpret and respond to their child’s school avoidance across home, school and support systems. Semi-structured interviews with twelve parents of children aged between 7 and 12 years were analysed using qualitative framework analysis, generating five themes. The themes provided insight into how parents understood their child’s avoidance as acts of emotional self-protection marked by overwhelm and distress. Their narratives highlighted confusion, disruption and tension within school and family relationships, alongside the challenge of holding it together within fragmented systems. Despite these challenges, parents demonstrated resilience with narratives highlighting the importance of collaborative, relationship‑based approaches.
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Sharpe et al. (2026) studied this question.
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