Throughout the nation, high school students are placed under immense levels of stress, and in response, experience both positive and negative consequences.
Many students exhibit positive coping methods to reduce stress; studying more, reaching out to teachers for help, and finding ways to enjoy life as a teen. Eustress is defined as a positive form of stress that can have a beneficial effect on one’s work ethic and motivation, and it occurs when there are a few stressors placed on someone.
Amy Scharf, the Guidance Counselor at Providence Day School, states that “too little stress can lead to unproductivity, and when experienced in moderation, gives us the motivation to try harder.” Small amounts of stress cause students to thrive and allow them to study more effectively, plan assessments, and ultimately perform better on tests.
Even when there are higher levels of stress that extend past eustress, many students still find productive methods to cope. A study done at New York University identifies these positive coping strategies as “sports and exercise, preventive activities such as good planning skills, and maintaining a balanced perspective on school and grades.”
“Too little stress can lead to unproductivity, and when experienced in moderation, gives us the motivation to try harder.” - Amy Scharf
However, when the stressors increase further and become too overbearing, negative effects of stress can start to appear. Research done at New York University states that “nearly half (49%) of all students reported feeling a great deal of stress on a daily basis.” The high school age group of 14-18 year-olds is the first demographic to show these extremely high levels of chronic stress. Scharf cites “emotional exhaustion and substance abuse as the two primary detrimental effects of stress.”
“Emotional exhaustion and substance abuse [are] the two primary detrimental effects of stress.” - Amy Scharf
In the study done at NYU mentioned previously, researchers collected extensive data about stress and its relationship to substance abuse in teens. The research states that “substance use for stress relief was a predominant theme in our interviews with students, over two-thirds of whom described substance use as both endemic to their social experience and as a method for managing stress.” It is alarming that a large percentage of teens use illegal substances to deal with the effects of the high expectations placed upon them by parents, teachers, colleges, and their peers.
In addition, mental health problems increase congruently to stress levels.
Scharf states that “High levels of unchecked stress can lead to mental health issues such as sleep deprivation, poor diet, decreased focus, low self-confidence, and difficulty with relationships and interactions with others.” Because teens are one of the most susceptible age groups to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, the high levels of stress caused by school-involved factors worsen the risk of psychological disorders in high school students.
Writing in the Digital Age students work hard on completing their articles. Photo Courtesy of C. Quarm
The effects of stress on high school students
By Carly Quarm
FEATURES
The Charger, December 2017
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