Young people on the stress that 'kills' them

Stress is a major killer even among young people. Discuss.' This was the essay title that most students chose to write about in an essay competition organised recently by the British Culture Association in Malta for students in Form 5 and Sixth Forms coming from private and state schools.

The young essay-writers highlighted various stress contributors in their lives, such as peer pressure, the urge to look perfect like models on television, fashion, teenage relationships, changes in physical appearances during adolescence, bullying at schools, feeling abandoned by parents who both work late hours, financial and family problems, and others.

The following are extracts from what eight students had to say about their school-induced stress:

"... It may be the exam you need to pass or you're falling too far behind, or deciding which is more valuable, your studies leading to future success, or your free time, pastimes and friends ... This is the time of year when stress levels can reach critical heights and as the year progresses, stress levels can become a deadly weapon to the mental state of a person's mind. Why? Simply because of certificate exams, the ones many have spent five years of their life studying for ..."

"... students can't find time to lead normal lives. A student in form five juggles between studying, doing homework and going to private lessons. Does he have time to go out with friends? Does he have time to talk to his family? No. After a hard day at school and then doing homework, going to private lessons and studying, they usually go to bed early since they are too tired to do anything else! ..."

"Nowadays the amount of work given to students is incredible and with studying for exams and tests, they can barely keep up. A lot of students have jobs while at school, so balancing them both can be rather difficult and time consuming."

"A lot of teenagers are always stressed out about school and home work which is sometimes given out in heaps and not everyone can keep up with the enormous amounts of work. This is a huge contribution to stress ..."

"One major source of stress on young people is education... too much studying imposed upon a student induces psychological stress... Many teachers believe that their students are some sort of troglodytes locked up in a cell with only a mound of text-books for company... (and) will continue to impose new educational schemes undaunted by the fact that half of the students are not enjoying their youth and are taking anti-depressants... . Stress... will always exist and continue to destroy our youngsters and young people unless something is done (to) change the whole educational system ..."

" ... (when) a non-political programme interviewed mothers of children sitting for the Junior Lyceum entrance exam ... why they put so much pressure on their children ... the majority admitted that they want their children to perform better than the others ... Many youths are forced to give up sports, dancing and other activities which help them meet other people. This is because many parents feel that these activities disrupt the youth's decision-making and concentration on school and studying."

"School life can turn out to be rather tiring. It is hard for students to rise to the expectations of adults who remind them day in day out about the importance of high stake examinations and constantly warn them that they might not even manage to cover the whole syllabus by the end of the scholastic year."

" The way in which exams are sorted, all in one bulk, is also a difficult thing to cope with. For example the O-levels are all in one month or less. So one has to study many subjects and has to remember everything for these exams, because of the thought, "If I don't pass, I will suffer all my life."

Also, some students recognised that just as stress overload or feeling 'stressed out' is a bad thing, having just enough stress can be good. One student stated: "For example, feeling a little stressed about a test that's coming up can motivate you to study hard."

Another went further: " 'Positive stress' adds anticipation and excitement to life, and we all thrive under a certain amount of stress. Deadlines, competitions, confrontations, and even frustrations and sorrows add depth and enrichment to our lives."