More exam stress at 15 linked to higher risk of depression as young adult study

"Exam stress at age 15 can increase the risk of depression and self-harm into early adulthood, research suggests. Academic pressure is known to have a detrimental impact on mood and overall wellbeing, but until now few studies had examined the long-term effects on mental health. Researchers at University College London examined data from nearly 5,000 young people born in 1991 and 1992 taking part in a wider ongoing study of children."

"They also found that for every extra point of academic pressure reported as 15-year-olds, the likelihood of depression and self-harm by the age of 16 was 25% and 8% higher respectively. This effect continued into their early 20s. Higher rates of academic pressure at school were also associated with greater mental ill health, the authors calculated. For every one-point increase in school stress, 24-year-olds were 16% more likely to say they had ever attempted suicide than those who experienced less academic pressure at 15."

Data from nearly 5,000 young people born in 1991 and 1992 were analyzed from a wider ongoing cohort. Academic pressure was assessed at age 15 through questionnaires on school experiences. Mental health was tracked from ages 16 to 22, and self-harm was monitored up to age 24. Young people who worried most about school work or felt strong family pressure to do well had higher levels of depression and more episodes of self-harm into early adulthood. Each extra point of academic pressure at 15 raised the likelihood of depression by 25% and self-harm by 8% by age 16, with effects persisting into the early twenties. Greater school stress at 15 was also linked to a 16% higher likelihood of ever attempting suicide by age 24 per point increase. Recommendations include adopting whole-school initiatives to reduce exam stress, such as interventions that enhance social and emotional learning.

Read at www.theguardian.com