Report: Parents Concerned About Academic Stress
The
majority of parents think academic expectations are putting too much
pressure on their children, and a significant number of kids are
experiencing mental health problems as a result, according to a survey
from the online learning platform Course Hero.
In August 2016, Course Hero partnered with OnePoll
to survey 2,000 parents of children aged 15 to 20. Respondents from
around the United States answered questions related to academic
expectations, stress related to classwork and exams and children's
mental health.
The results revealed that more than 20 percent
of parents have sought professional help for their children's stress,
and nearly one quarter have considered it. These findings are similar
to a recent study from the American College Health Association, which found that 17 percent of college students were diagnosed with or treated for anxiety and 13.9 percent for depression.
“Today’s
students have to balance classwork, homework, study groups, family
life, extracurricular activities, sports and even part-time jobs,"
said Andrew Grauer, co-founder and CEO of Course Hero, in a prepared
statement. "Based on these research results, we need to ask ourselves:
Are we asking too much of these kids given how much time they have for
all these activities, and, more importantly, how can we help them
outside the classroom?”
Other findings from the survey:
- 90 percent of parents worry that their children are struggling to cope with managing their academic workload;
- 64 percent of parents think their children feel overwhelmed with too many homework demands;
- 52 percent of parent allow their children to take a day off from school to alleviate stress;
- 80 percent of parents have looked for a way to help their children with homework; and
- 71
percent of parents in the Northeast said their children were likely to
talk about school stress or pressure with them, compared to 70 percent
of kids in the Midwest and 60 percent in the Southwest.
Additional survey results can be found on Course Hero's site.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].