Abstract
There is growing awareness that students’ experiences of stress may impede academic success, compromise mental health, and promote substance use. We examined these factors in an under-studied population, private/independent high school students, using a multi-method (qualitative and quantitative), iterative data collection and analytic process. We first conducted qualitative interviews with faculty and staff at a number of highly competitive private schools, followed by an anonymous quantitative survey with 128 11th grade students from two of these settings. We then conducted a qualitative exploration of the quantitative results with a subset of students. Next, a set of Expert Panel members participated in qualitative interviews to reflect on and interpret study findings. Overall, we found students experienced high levels of chronic stress, particularly in relation to academic performance and the college admissions process. While students described a range of effective, adaptive coping strategies, they also commonly internalized these serious pressures and turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with chronic stress, although not typically at problematic levels. We discuss study implications for both schools and families derived from the Expert Panel.
Highlights
Adolescents typically face a wide range of normative chronic stressors, including academic and social demands, as well as non-normative major life events, such as parental divorce or the death of loved ones
We focused on students in the 11th grade because chronic stress tends to be high in this year, as students consolidate their portfolios in preparation for college applications
We found that the Stress Process Model served as a useful guide for framing students’ experiences, in the way the context of highly competitive private schools shapes students perceptions of stress and their strategies for coping with it
Summary
Adolescents typically face a wide range of normative chronic stressors, including academic and social demands, as well as non-normative major life events, such as parental divorce or the death of loved ones. There is growing awareness that many subgroups of youth experience levels of chronic stress that are so great that youths’ abilities to succeed academically are undermined, mental health functioning is Stress, coping, and substance use compromised, and rates of risk behavior escalate (Hardy, 2003; Suldo et al, 2008; Conner et al, 2009). This chronic stress in high school appears to persist into the college years, and may contribute to academic disengagement and mental health problems among emerging adults (National Ctr on Addiction, and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2003)
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