Academic Stress in High School Students

Academic stress is a common problem among students in the U.S. According to the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the Yale Child Study Center, “75% of U.S. high school students expressed boredom, anger, sadness, fear, or stress”. And, this makes sense. High school is a very busy time for students, and there is a lot to worry about. Kids have to worry about homework, essays, assessments, grades, college applications, and standardized testing. According to a Student Life Survey Press Release from The Princeton Review, 25% of students attributed their stress to homework, 18% of them to grades, 17% to a desire to do well, 8% to other students, and 8% to getting into college.

While in small amounts stress can be beneficial, large amounts have many very negative effects. According to an American Psychological Association article, stress can compromise academic performance. High amounts reduce the brain’s ability to remember and to perform even simple calculations. Stress also leads to health problems such as depression, poor sleep, substance abuse, and anxiety.This Jed Foundation article provides questions that can help readers recognize if and how stress is affecting you and where it comes from. Additionally, it provides common signs that somebody’s mental health is suffering from stress, such as insomnia, motivation problems, signs of anxiety and depression, and mood swings. It is also important to note that this article has helplines for both victims of academic stress and people worried about them.