Managing the stress test: How parents can help kids deal with back-to-school anxiety

AS A CHILD, I had a great deal of anxiety. If you’ve ever seen me speak in public, that might surprise you. But anxiety among children is extremely common and affects almost all children, to varying degrees.

During pre-pandemic times, researchers noted that as many as 7 percent of children had a diagnosable anxiety disorder that disrupted their everyday functioning. In addition, 20 percent had a tendency to feel anxious that didn’t rise to the level of a clinical disorder. And all children feel anxious at some time or another.