Abstract
Academic stress (AS) is one of the most important health problems experienced by students, but no biomarker of the potential psychological or physical problems associated with AS has yet been identified. As several cross-sectional studies have shown that psychiatric conditions accelerate aging and shorten telomere length (TL), we explored whether AS affected TL.Between June 2014 and July 2014, we recruited 200 junior high school students with imminent final examinations for participation in this study. The students were divided into three subgroups (mild, moderate, and severe anxiety) using the Sarason Test Anxiety Scale (TAS). Saliva samples were collected for TL measurement via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).Students from both a specialized and a general school suffered from anxiety (p > 0.05). A total 35% had severe anxiety (score: 26.093.87), 33% had moderate anxiety (16.982.64), and 32% had mild anxiety (7.891.92). The TAS values differed significantly (p < 0.05) among the three subgroups, but the TLs of saliva cells differed only slightly (p > 0.05): 1.140.46 for those with severe anxiety, 1.020.40 for those with moderate anxiety, and 1.120.45 for those with mild anxiety.Previous reports have found that AS is very common in Asian adolescents. We found no immediate telomere shortening in adolescents with AS. Longitudinal observations are required to determine if TL is affected by AS.
Highlights
Excessive academic workloads, fear of failure, emotional exhaustion, and social pressures are routine causes of academic stress (AS) [1]
A telomere is composed of G-rich repetitive DNA protected by a shelterin protein complex that includes telomeric repeat binding factor 1 (TRF1), telomeric repeat binding factor 1 (TRF2), protection of telomeres 1 (POT1), TRF1interacting nuclear protein 2 (TIN2), POT1-TIN2organizing protein (TPP1), and repressor-activator protein 1 (RAP1) [5]
We examined whether telomere length (TL) was associated with the anxiety levels of healthy students by measuring the TL of salivary cells from students exposed to AS related to the imminence of their final examinations, the most stressful period of the semester
Summary
Fear of failure, emotional exhaustion, and social pressures are routine causes of academic stress (AS) [1]. Chronic exposure to emotional and environmental stress is a well-known trigger of physical symptoms, such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and metabolic disruption. If not treated, these symptoms accelerate the development of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other age-related conditions [24]. An adequate telomere length (TL) stabilizes chromosomal ends by allowing the binding of appropriate levels of shelterin and controls the transcription of genes, even when they are in distant locations from telomeres (i.e., the chromosomal interior) [8]. We examined whether TL was associated with the anxiety levels of healthy students by measuring the TL of salivary cells from students exposed to AS related to the imminence of their final examinations, the most stressful period of the semester
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