High Stakes Childhood: Dangers of Academic Stress and How to Prevent Them
By Rohima Badri, Ph.D., Researcher and Writer, NoSchoolViolence
Patrick Turner, a 16-year-old high school student who committed suicide due to academic-related demands and stress, wrote the following in his last letter:
"So much pressure is put on kids to do good, and a lot of kids make mistakes. One slip up makes a kid feel like the smallest person in the world. All anyone talks about is how great they are or how great their kid is. It’s all about how great I am. It’s never about the other kid. The kid who maybe does not play a sport, have a 4.0+ GPA, but displays great character...Nobody can understand what people might be going through. Be nice to everyone, and most importantly be inclusive..."
Intense academic pressure is wreaking havoc on children’s physical and mental health and well-being. The suicide rate has increased by 70 % among U.S. youth (ages 10 to 17), between 2006 and 2016. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Suicide kills more people in these adolescent age groups during the school year than during the summer vacation and holidays (Hansen and Lang, 2011), highlighting the dangers of academic stress.
Students who are subjected to unrelenting academic stress have such high rates of anxiety and depression (at least two to three times higher than the national average) that they are now classified as "at-risk," alongside children in poverty and foster care, recent immigrants, and those whose parents are incarcerated (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 2019). To protect children's physical and mental health now and in the future, as well as to create a positive learning environment, it is essential to address the causes and solutions of academic stress.
Parental pressure
Parents are the most proximal and prominent figures in many aspects of their children's lives, and therefore, their likes, dislikes, priorities, and values significantly impact the child's beliefs and behavior. It is natural for parents to want their children to succeed in life. However, sometimes, parents' definitions of success and expectations can take precedence over their children's health and well-being.
What does parental pressure on kids look like?
● Parents can set unrealistic expectations and overinvest in their children's success, causing performance anxiety and fear in children. Whenever parents place a high value on the outcome, children believe that every small academic performance, such as tests or quizzes, has life-changing consequences, resulting in enormous pressure on a regular basis.
● Children who conform to their parents' narrow definition of success (often tied to admission to specific colleges) face frustration, loss of motivation, and sometimes, unhealthy coping mechanisms such as cheating and substance abuse.
● Children believe they are worthless if they do not meet their parents' academic (over)expectations. Children’s self-esteem and self-image are strongly tied to their parents' approval or disapproval of their academic accomplishments.
School pressure
Families are often drawn to schools that have a track record of placing students in prestigious colleges, while schools may promote a high-achieving academic curriculum and a high-stakes performance environment to maintain their competitiveness and attract a steady stream of applicants.
How does school pressure look?
● Early achievement and perfect scores take precedence over student's readiness. Success is often measured in terms of the highest scores on the most difficult subjects (AP and Honors) and a number of extracurricular activities.
● "Anything better than failing" environment forces some students to engage in unethical behaviors such as cheating or delinquent behaviors such as substance abuse and chronic absence.
● Academic excellence takes precedence over other important life skills, such as regulating emotions, developing social and collaborative skills. A staggering 87 % of students reported that their high school's college preparation was more focused on academics than emotional readiness (JED, 2015).
Self-imposed pressure
Children often internalize their parents' and school's high expectations and perfectionism over time and self-impose unrealistic expectations and academic stress.
How does self-imposed stress look like?
● Academic guilt complex: Despite their hard work and effort, students are plagued by the guilt that they are "not good enough" or "have not done enough," which leads to the development of unhealthy boundaries and work habits. Students sacrifice family time, vacations, or regular breaks for additional academic workload or extracurricular activities.
● Opposite effect: Sometimes, setting unrealistic goals beyond students' abilities has the opposite effect, resulting in lower academic achievement, lower motivation, and a higher risk of school dropout.
● Academic stress can cause physical and mental problems such as fatigue, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, sadness, fear, anxiety, depression, social isolation, and, in extreme cases, self-harm or attempting/committing suicide.
Solutions to manage and ease academic stress
What can parents do?
Listen, lean in and learn from each other: Parents should be available to their children both physically and emotionally. Encourage them to share their passions, challenges, and experiences while carefully listening and without passing judgment. Share your values, accomplishments, setbacks, and life lessons. Explain the changes that occur during adolescence, empathize with them, and offer them support as they navigate the complexities of adolescent life.
Show unconditional love and maintain balanced life: Send a clear message to your child that they are loved unconditionally, regardless of their achievements and accolades. Set realistic goals and place a high value on kindness, compassion, and social-emotional skills. Maintain a sense of structure and balance by sticking to family routines such as eating meals together, doing chores, and participating in group activities.
What can schools do?
Humanizing the educational system: The school should recognize students as valuable individuals, each having unique strengths and needs, and create a conducive learning environment to help them reach their full potential instead of tying their entire identity to their academic performance.
Schools can
● Limit the number of advanced/honor subjects and extracurricular activities that can be taken.
● Prioritize learning and comprehension over test scores and early achievement.
● Increase outdoor and leisurely/recreational activities.
Reforming higher educational institutions: Julie Lythcott-Haims, the author and former Stanford University dean of freshmen, believes (reported by Palo Alto Online) that colleges and universities bear the burden of rethinking a broken system. She recommends colleges to
● Make standardized test scores (SAT and ACT) optional.
● Ask applicants directly if they received any help in writing their essays (Colleges must demonstrate that they value "personal" over "perfect" essay.).
● Decline participating from U.S. News & World Report rankings, which encourages "problematic perceptions of hierarchies in the higher education system."
What can students do?
Self-care: Eat right, sleep right, and play right. Make a list of priorities and establish a healthy study-life balance. Step out and indulge in natural outdoor activities.
Set reasonable expectations and enjoy the journey: Keep your dreams and aspirations in mind and set realistic goals. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them, and recognize that there are many ways to achieve success.
Build a support system: The support system may include (but not limited to) family, friends, peers, teachers, counselors, and health professionals. Physical and mental health both benefit from having a strong support network. If you're feeling overwhelmed, angry, lonely, or sad, or if you need guidance, information, or support, reach out to your support system.
Seek help immediately: Do not normalize stress. Fear, denial, or a lack of knowledge can all prevent you from seeking assistance. The key to minimizing the impact of academic stress on physical and mental health is prevention and early intervention.
What can parents, students, and the school do together to reduce academic stress
Broaden the definition of success: Parents, students, and schools should work together to look beyond academics and embrace a broader definition of success. Good grades and admission to prestigious colleges are not the only routes to success. A more holistic definition of success should be promoted, in which students develop both intelligence and character, learn civic duties and responsibilities, and connect and collaborate to become contributing global citizens.
Embrace social and emotional learning: Social and emotional learning is crucial for children's academic success and emotional well-being. However, academics frequently take precedence over children's social and emotional development. These abilities will assist students in successfully navigating real-world situations, regulating emotions and behaviors, developing supportive relationships, and developing a positive outlook for the future. There is mounting evidence that socio-emotional skills are critical in coping with stress, and as a result, parents, educators, and students should work together to successfully integrate these life skills into the learning environment.
Seek professional help: The National Institute of Mental Health has stress management and mental health resources and guidance for parents, students, and educators.
The solution to academic stress and living a healthy, happy life resonates in the powerful final words of 16-year-old Patrick Turner, that before you have good grades and perfect scores, it is important to have "great character," to be inclusive, empathetic, and simply be a nice human being.
References
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2. Elena Kadvany (March 14, 2019). Pressure over college admissions 'out of control, Palo Alto online. Accessed August 24, 2021. https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2019/03/14/pressure-over-college-admissions-out-of-control
3. Hansen, B. and Lang, M. (2011). Back to school blues: Seasonality of youth suicide and the academic calendar, Economics of Education Review, 30, (5), 850-861. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2011.04.012
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5. National Institute of Mental Health. Children and Mental Health: Is This Just a Stage? Accessed August 24, 2021
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/children-and-mental-health#pub7
6. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2019). Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25466.
7. Pascoe, M. C., Hetrick, S. E., and Parker, A. G. (2020.) The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education, International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25 (1), 104-112.
DOI: 10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823
8. Patrick’s Story. Patrick’s Purpose Foundation. Accessed August 25, 2021, from https://www.patrickspurposefoundation.org/copy-of-about-us
9. The JED Foundation (October 8, 2015). Students Who Feel Emotionally Unprepared for College More Likely to Report Poor Academic Performance and Negative College Experience. Accessed August 25, 2021.
https://www.jedfoundation.org/first-year-college-experience-release/