Academic pressure experienced by teenagers can have profound and lasting consequences on their mental health, a new study has revealed.
Researchers found that 15-year-olds subjected to higher levels of academic stress were more likely to suffer from depression well into early adulthood.
The study also linked this pressure to an increased risk of self-harm, persisting until the age of 24.
Published in the esteemed journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, the research was conducted by experts at University College London (UCL).
They tracked 4,700 young individuals born in 1991 or 1992.
This specific group forms part of the ongoing 'Children of the 90s' study, an extensive project dedicated to monitoring the long-term health and wellbeing of its participants.
Academic pressure was measured when they were 15 by using a school experiences questionnaire.
And mental health was tracked repeatedly from the age of 16 to 22.
Self harm was tracked up to the age of 24.
Researchers found that those who felt more pressured by schoolwork at age 15 went on to report higher levels of depression.
The link was strongest when these children were 16 – around the time of their GCSE exams – but researchers found that symptoms persisted until they turned 22.
The authors reported that higher academic pressure was also linked to self-harm, with each one-point increase in perceived academic pressure linked to an 8 per cent higher likelihood of self-harm.
“In a large, longitudinal cohort in England, we observed that higher levels of academic pressure at age 15 years were associated with higher depressive symptoms at five follow-up timepoints between ages 16 years and 22 years, the association being strongest for depressive symptoms measured at age 16 years, but remained up to age 22 years,” the authors wrote in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
“Associations between academic pressure and depressive symptoms could therefore persist from secondary school to early adulthood.
“We found evidence, albeit statistically weaker than for depressive symptoms, that higher levels of academic pressure at age 15 years were associated with self-harm at four follow-up timepoints between ages 16 years and 24 years.
“These findings indicate that academic pressure may be a pathway to the observed rise in mental health challenges in young people that warrants further investigation.”
The authors went on to suggest that whole-school initiatives to reduce academic pressure could help improve mental health among young people.
And exam stress can be reduced by “interventions that enhance social and emotional learning and relaxation skills”, they added.
And they point out that there is evidence that “reducing the number of high-stakes tests reduces academic stress”.
Meanwhile families could also “reduce academic pressure and encourage physical activity, socialising, and sleep”.
Senior author Gemma Lewis, professor of psychiatric epidemiology at UCL, said: “In recent years, rates of depression have been rising among young people in the UK and in other countries, and academic pressure also appears to be on the rise.
“Young people report that academic pressure is one of their biggest sources of stress.
“A certain amount of pressure to succeed in school can be motivating, but too much pressure can be overwhelming and may be detrimental to mental health.
“We found that young people who felt more pressured by schoolwork at age 15 went on to report higher levels of depressive symptoms, for multiple years into adulthood.
“Current approaches to help pupils with mental health tend to be focused on helping individual pupils cope; we hope to address academic pressure at the whole-school level by addressing the school culture.”
Commenting, Paul Noblet, head of external affairs and research at the charity YoungMinds, said: “The evidence could not be clearer, academic pressures harm young people’s mental health.
“These findings echo YoungMinds’ research with young people who sat GCSEs and A-levels last year, which showed a significant number struggling with suicidal thoughts and self-harm.
“Small steps are being taken, with exams set to be reduced by three hours, but this is far short of the changes needed to create an education system that helps young people thrive.
“The focus needs to shift from end of year exams and include a mix of assessment methods.
“How much longer must young people say they are struggling before truly meaningful changes are made?”
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