Exam pressure at 15 linked to higher risk of depression and self-harm

Increased academic pressure at age 15 is linked to higher rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts into early adulthood, according to a study by University College London (UCL).

Researchers at UCL reviewed longitudinal data from approximately 5,000 young people born in 1991 and 1992. These students were asked to complete surveys about their academic lives to measure the level of stress they experienced.

Their findings were published in the prestigious journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.

Study participants who experienced significant levels of academic stress when they were 15 reported more depressive symptoms even until the age of 22.

Each one-point increase on the nine-point scale used to determine academic pressure at 15 was associated with an 8% increase in the likelihood of self-harm in early adulthood.

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

Gemma Lewis, UCL

Furthermore, each one-point increase was also associated with a 16% higher likelihood of trying to attempt suicide by the age of 24.

In a secondary analysis, researchers also found that academic stress at ages 11 to 14 was linked to depressive symptoms.

Gemma Lewis, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at UCL and senior author, stressed: “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.”

“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.”

The researchers suggest that, to alleviate academic pressure, students could be given fewer assessments and more support in developing social and emotional skills.

The Senior Policy and Influencing Officer at mental health charity Mind, Tolu Fashina-Ayilara, commented that the study “supports Mind’s previous research, in which almost four in five young people (78%) reported that school had made their mental health worse.”

Speaking to The Guardian, a government spokesperson explained they were expanding access to mental health professionals in every school, with 900,000 additional students benefiting from the support this year.

As schools face pressure to ensure good performance metrics, the study raises questions about whether academic success in the current system comes at a too high a cost.