The Effects of Academic Pressure on Student Mental Wellbeing

This essay investigates the multifaceted impact of academic pressure on students' mental health, encompassing its effects on their emotional, social, and overall wellbeing. The essay begins by highlighting how excessive academic stress can lead to increased levels of depression, anxiety, and feelings of worthlessness among students, often exacerbated by comparisons to peers and societal expectations. The discussion then expands to explore the negative consequences of this pressure on students' socio-emotional wellbeing, including potential physical ailments and negative attitudes towards their future careers. However, the essay also acknowledges the potential positive aspects of stress, such as its ability to motivate students and prepare them for future challenges. Ultimately, the essay concludes that while academic pressure can be detrimental to student mental health, it can also serve as a catalyst for personal growth and resilience. The essay also includes references to research papers to support the claims.

Running head: ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Academic Pressure and Mental Health
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Abstract:
The following essay deals with the impact of the academic pressure upon the mental
pressure of the students in various educational institutions. They tend to suffer from severe
depression and anxiety levels, along with hopelessness and considering themselves worthless.
They tend to compare themselves to the students who score high grades and this makes them
mentally ill.

2ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Introduction:
The parents who encourage their students to perform well in their academics is definitely
a positive approach but only to a certain limit. When this pressure starts increasing, the students
and the children start being mentally affected. The children tend to show symptoms of being
mentally ill and emotionally sick. They also tend to become socially unsocial which affects them
to a great extent. However stress can also be beneficial in certain cases and help their betterment.
The following essay aims to discuss how the increased academic pressure has an impact over the
mental health of the students, as well as their social and emotional well being. It also discusses
the positive effects of the emotional stress.
Discussion:
Topic1: The academic stress had a great impact over the mental health of the students.
Warrant: This grading system also links itself to racism and sexism in many of the
institutions. This further demotivates the students who do not score high grades in their studies.
The policy of segregation of the high ranking students from the others instigates the feeling of
uselessness in the students who score less in their subjects. It has been discussed by (), that the
stress among the students decrease their tolerance power and increases their feelings of anger and
irritation, they tend to remain irritated almost all the time thus giving way to their values and
their morals.
Backing: National Crime Records Bureau is an article provided with information of how
many students have suffered or suffering from academic life. Studies says 1.8% students have
already committed suicide due to failing examinations and countries like India their education

3ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND MENTAL HEALTH
base is so strong from childhood that the percentage is raised up. (Schwitzer, rt.al., 2018). () also
discusses and many of the reports have suggested that the students who remain in a constant
academic pressure get impacted in such a manner that they tend to withdraw themselves from the
society and often end up outburtsing their anger. These students often have the tendency to resist
to the school guidelines and not to follow the rules of their educators or instructors. Also from
the reports of the American College Health Association National College, it has been found out
that more than 25 percent of the students undergo academic pressure and stress and this result sin
their low grades and worse academic performances.
Conclusion: Thus from the above discussion of the impact of the academic stress it can
be said that the students get impacted with the academic pressure negatively and it is evident
from their behavior as well how they act in their life events. The students suffer greatly from the
stress and the mental pressure and this leads them to perform poorly in thrir studies and
academics.
Topic 2: Academic pressure can be injurious for the socio economic well being of the
students.
Rebuttal: In most of the schools and educational institutions, the quality or the self worth
of the students are dependent upon how they perform in their academics. Their achievement
depends on their studies which make them overburdened and pressurized. In such scenarios, if a
student cannot perform well in their academics or their studies, they tend to consider themselves
worthless. Kumaraswamy (2013) has discussed that these students show signs of depression and

4ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND MENTAL HEALTH
anxiety because they continuously keep themselves busy in competing with their fellow friends
and the other students.
Counter Rebuttal: They might often suffer from delinquent behaviors as well as substance
abuse. The students who suffer from a sense of uselessness and hopelessness due to the low
grades in academic, feel themselves pressurized with the burden of the academic. They often are
prone to having negative attitude to their career. Increased academic pressure not only affects
their mental health but also they tend to have physical ailments as well (Saklofske, et.al., 2012).
They have loss of appetite and change in their sleeping patterns is seen due to the severe tension
that they undergo.
Ethical Support: Saklofske et al. (2012) have explored the connections between
personality and emotional intelligence of students, stating that the reliance of academic success
on the amount of academic stress that the student is taking, causes a socio – emotional conflict in
the students
Conclusion: Thus it can be said that stress has a great role to play in the emotional well
being of the students. The young children get overburdened by stress and this affects their mental
health as well as their social well being. They try to consider themselves worthless and it helps
negatively in their competition. They feel left out and alienated from their peers which affects
them to a great extent emotionally.
Topic 3: However, stress is also important for the students as it has positive effect on
them

5ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Rebuttal: As per the discussion of Auerbach, et.al., (2017), the students need to think
apart from their curriculum. The teachers and the educators of the educational institutions should
help them concentrate on their extra curricular activities as well as other forms of recreation.
This would keep them relaxed and take less burden of their academics. They need to understand
that the academic performance is not everything that would judge a person.
Counter Rebuttal: As per the discussion of several researcher, it has been found out that
the stress is actually beneficial for the students in many cases. It helps them to strengthen their
immune system and also motivates them. This enhances their memory and their learning as well.
The stress has often been positive, in a way that it encourages the students to perform better in
academics, have a healthy competition with the fellow peers and also get the experience to deal
with more stressful situations.
Emotional Support: Studies have shown that the students who tend to face the effects of
academic pressure in their school or college life, often end up losing a significant portion of their
emotional and social wellbeing due to persistent cases of anxiety and depression (Murray-
Harvey, 2010). It means that the students’ social as well as emotional wellbeing are getting
severely affected because of the persistent academic stress they reside with.
Conclusion: It can thus be concluded that the stress although affecting the mental health
and the social well being of the students, also has a positive effect upon them because it prepares
them for better challenges of life and motivates them to perform better in their academics.

6ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Conclusion:
Thus from the above discussion it can be concluded that the students under increased
academic pressure have a greater tendency to have mental health problems which not only affect
themselves but also their career decisions and their future. Thus the professional therapists
suggest that the students should be allowed to relax and concentrate on the other aspects apart of
the academics. However in accordance to this, the stress can also have a positive effect upon
them, and encourage themselves to be better human beings in life, ready to face the greater
stressful challenges in the future.

7ACADEMIC PRESSURE AND MENTAL HEALTH
References:
Auerbach, R. P., Alonso, J., Axinn, W. G., Cuijpers, P., Ebert, D. D., Green, J. G., . . . Bruffaerts,
R. (2017). Mental disorders among college students in the world health organization
world mental health surveys - CORRIGENDUM.Psychological
Kumaraswamy, N. (2013). Academic stress, anxiety and depression among college students: A
brief review. International review of social sciences and humanities, 5(1), 135-143.
Murray-Harvey, R. (2010). Relationship influences on students' academic achievement,
psychological health and well-being at school. Educational and Child Psychology, 27(1),
104.
Saklofske, D. H., Austin, E. J., Mastoras, S. M., Beaton, L., & Osborne, S. E. (2012).
Relationships of personality, affect, emotional intelligence and coping with student stress
and academic success: Different patterns of association for stress and success. Learning
and Individual Differences, 22(2), 251-257.
Schwitzer, A. M., Moss, C. B., Pribesh, S. L., St John, D.,J., Burnett, D. D., Thompson, L. H., &
Foss, J. J. (2018). Students with mental health needs: College counseling experiences and
academic success. Journal of College Student Development, 59(1), 3-20.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.library.sheridanc.on.ca/10.1353/csd.2018.0001