The role of parental support in reducing academic stress

Academic stress is a broader emotional reaction from feeling overwhelmed by school responsibilities, expectations, and the pressures that come with them. Between the demands of school, extracurricular activities, and sometimes even pressure from parents or teachers, kids today face much pressure to perform.

At the end of the day, stress is inevitable, especially when it comes to school and, how kids appraise or interpret stressful situations can either help them manage them or make them feel unbearable. As a caregiver, your role in shaping how they think about academic challenges has a lasting impact on their perception.

For some kids, Academic stress might be tied to time management – they have too many things to juggle and don’t know where to start. For others, it’s about fear of failure or disappointing the people who matter most to them. And let’s not forget about the more subtle stresses, like perfectionism. Some kids hold themselves to impossibly high standards, feeling like if they don’t get an A on every assignment, they’ve somehow failed.

All these factors combine to create a sense of pressure that can feel relentless. A little bit of pressure might motivate a student to work harder, but when it piles on and becomes too much, it can lead to feelings of helplessness, frustration, and even burnout. We’re not just talking about a few bad days here and there – chronic academic stress can have a real impact on a child’s mental health.

Cognitive Appraisal – How Kids Interpret Stress

Cognitive appraisal is the way we interpret or assess a situation, and this interpretation influences how much stress we feel. It’s the difference between seeing a big exam as a challenge you can tackle versus seeing it as an impossible hurdle. How kids think about their academic workload greatly affects whether they feel stressed or in control.

Imagine this: two students, with the same math test coming up. One student thinks, “Okay, this is going to be tough, but I’ve prepared, and I’ll give it my best shot.” The other thinks, “I’m never going to pass this. I’m not good at math, and no matter what I do, I’m going to fail.” Which student do you think is feeling more stressed? It’s not the test itself that’s causing the stress; it’s how each student interprets the test and their ability to handle it.

Two main types of cognitive appraisal affect how kids deal with academic stress: primary appraisal and secondary appraisal.

• Primary appraisal is when your child looks at a situation and asks, “Is this a threat or an opportunity?” In academic terms, they’re asking themselves if this test or project is something that could harm them (like a bad grade affecting their overall performance) or something that could benefit them (like a chance to show what they know or improve). When kids see academic tasks as threats, their stress levels spike because they feel like something negative is going to happen. But if they view it as a challenge they can overcome, their stress tends to stay lower.
• Secondary appraisal comes into play once they’ve determined whether the situation is a threat or a challenge. It’s when they ask, “Do I have the tools to deal with this?” If your child believes they have the skills or resources to handle the situation (like study notes, help from a teacher, or support from you), they’re less likely to feel overwhelmed. But if they think they’re unprepared or that there’s no way to succeed, that’s when stress kicks in.

How Parents Can Help Reframe Cognitive Appraisal

You’ve probably noticed how stress doesn’t just stay in your head – it takes a toll on your body, too. Kids aren’t any different. When they experience academic stress, it can show up in a lot of ways: headaches, stomachaches, trouble sleeping, or even changes in appetite. Emotionally, they might become irritable, anxious, or withdrawn.

A study conducted in Nepal among high school students demonstrated that perceived social support from family members, including parents, had the most substantial preventive role against academic stress, even when compared to support from friends and teachers. The research emphasized that combined efforts from the school and family are essential in addressing student pressures.

Parents can help shape their kids’ cognitive appraisal by guiding how they think about academic challenges. One of the most effective ways to reduce academic stress is by encouraging a more positive, resilient mindset. You can help them see that while a test or project might be tough, it’s not the end of the world, and they have the tools to get through it. Another thing you can do is help them focus on what they can control. Let’s say your child is feeling anxious about a group project. You can help them think about the aspects they have power over, like the parts of the project they’re responsible for, their effort and their time management. Focusing on controllable factors reduces the feeling of helplessness that often comes with stress.

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. When kids have high self-efficacy, they’re more likely to feel confident about handling academic challenges, which lowers their stress. Parents can boost their kids’ belief in their ability to succeed by reminding them of past successes. Maybe they aced a tough spelling test last year, or maybe they worked through a difficult project and came out the other side stronger.

You can also help by offering specific praise that focuses on effort rather than outcomes. Instead of saying, “You’re so smart,” you might say, “I’m impressed by how much time and energy you put into studying for that test.” This kind of feedback reinforces the idea that hard work leads to success and that they have control over their performance.

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References

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.

Banstola, I., Banstola, R. S., & Pageni, S. (2020). The role of perceived social support on academic stress. Journal of Family Studies

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman and Company.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Suldo, S. M., & Shaunessy-Dedrick, E. (2013). Changes in stress and psychological adjustment during the transition to high school: Differences by academic track. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(9), 1373-1391.

Putwain, D. W. (2007). Test anxiety in UK schoolchildren: Prevalence and demographic patterns. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(3), 579-593. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709906X161704