Nearly 50% of students very stressed: study

New data from ReachOut shows that almost half of young people are extremely or very stressed about exams.

Similar numbers of students indicated that study stress is having a major impact on their mental health and wellbeing (46%).

The national survey of over 600 young people aged 16–25 years, conducted by ReachOut in August, also found that study stress was one of the biggest concerns of young people today, surpassed only by stress about the future.

The data shows that study stress is having very real impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of young people across Australia — 75% reported that they lacked motivation and 71% reported changes to their mood as a result of stress about study and exams.

The impacts of study stress on affected young peoples’ physical health and lives more generally included that 73% had trouble sleeping, 42% had to take time off work or study, 39% experienced challenges within their relationships and 37% experienced poor physical health and sickness.

Students indicated that the top three causes of study stress were worry about not being able to live the life they have planned for themselves (58%), concern about how they will compare with other students (55%) and stress about letting their family down (49%).

The CEO of ReachOut, Ashley de Silva, said that the new data is being released in the lead-up to Year 12 exams to encourage students to take a proactive approach to their mental health and to seek support.

“ReachOut’s new data on study stress shows that almost half of young people in Australia are not only stressed about exams and study, but that the stress is also having a significant impact on their mental health, wellbeing, their physical health and their lives more generally.

“We know that some stress can help us get through difficult tasks such as exams, but when that stress starts impacting our mood and other areas of our lives it can impact students’ mental health in both the short and long term.

“With Year 12 exams around the corner now is an important time to remind students to be proactive about their mental health as they work through these last few weeks of high school. Small actions like waking up at the same time each day, taking breaks during study sessions and staying connected to the people who are important in your life can make a big difference.

“I also strongly encourage all students to seek help if study stress is becoming unmanageable for them. That could look like opening up to someone you trust, making an appointment to see your GP, calling a helpline or logging on to ReachOut,” he said.

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