outside activities, becomes too much for
many of these kids to handle.
Effects of Academic Stress
on Student Well-Being
The stress these students feel not only
compromises their learning experience,
but also takes a toll on their health and
well-being. Given the amount of time
they spend completing homework,
studying, and pursuing extracurricular
activities, it is no wonder that the
majority of students in our study
reported sleeping fewer hours per night
than the 9. 25 hours experts suggest they
need.
On average, the respondents reported
getting 6. 8 hours of sleep each weeknight. Over one-third ( 34. 6 percent)
reported six or fewer hours of sleep
each night. Two-thirds indicated that
homework or schoolwork often or
always keep them from sleeping. Fifty-four percent reported difficulty sleeping,
56 percent reported experiencing
exhaustion as a result of academic
stress, and quite a few students listed
“not getting enough sleep” as a stressor
in and of itself. These students’
comments reflect the extent of their
sleep deprivation:
; “There are times I do schoolwork
from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. even when I don’t
procrastinate.”
; “I just want more time to sleep and
maintain a healthy lifestyle, but school
keeps inundating me with work and
tests at such a fast and constant rate that
I’m always tired and stressed.”
; “Just this week I had three all-nighters in a row.”
In addition to exhaustion, students
attributed other physical symptoms,
including headaches and stomach problems, to academic stress. Although 19
percent reported experiencing no physical symptoms in the past month due to
academic stress, 44 percent reported
experiencing three or more physical
symptoms in one month alone. For
these youth, it becomes hard to maintain the argument that stress can be
healthy.
Stress also adversely affects some
students’ mental health. Nearly one-quarter of the respondents ( 24 percent)
indicated that they frequently felt
depressed in the last month, and 252
students ( 7 percent) had cut themselves
during the same time period. These
statistics are similar to those in other
samples (Nevius, 2005; Ross & Heath,
2002).
“There are times
I do schoolwork
from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m.
even when I don’t
procrastinate.”
Some students turn to stimulants to
boost their performance. Twenty-four
percent of respondents reported that
they had used stimulants such as
caffeine or over-the-counter alertness
pills to help them stay up to study in
the last month, and another 274
students ( 8 percent) reported using
illegal stimulants or prescription drugs
for the same reason. Other research
indicates that these numbers rise
dramatically once students enter college
(Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2007; McCabe, Boyd, & Teter,
2009).
Students’ comments revealed the
extent to which some of them are
suffering:
; “I get emotionally stressed and have
breakdowns, or I go the completely
opposite way and stop caring. I wish the
administrators would take initiative. I
cry all the time!”
; “I was in therapy for anxiety issues
last year . . . depression from extreme
homework and expectations of my
coach.”
; “I am stressed to the point of developing chronic insomnia.”
; “When I feel especially stressed out,
I feel like intoxication is the best way
out.”
Clearly, these students are experiencing distress. Their grades may indicate that they are meeting or exceeding
academic standards, but their words
indicate that they are sacrificing their
health and well-being.
Strategies for Schools
The schools that participated in this
study joined a research-based intervention program known as Challenge
Success. This program, based at the
Stanford University School of Education, guides school teams of multiple
stakeholders as they design and implement site-based policies and practices
that reduce student stress and promote
greater student engagement, academic
integrity, health, and well-being.
Soon after joining the program, these
schools administered a baseline survey
to a representative sample of their
student bodies to determine the extent
to which their students experienced
academic stress and to examine links
among physical and mental health,
student motivation, and achievement.
The survey data help participating
schools not only identify specific
problem areas, but also generate
community-wide understanding of
these problems.
After developing this shared understanding, schools implemented a variety
of strategies to reduce student stress and
increase well-being. Most schools
created more opportunities for students
to receive support from staff, developed
test and project calendars to help ease
students’ workload, and revised home-
