Impact of Academic Stress on the Behavior of the Adolescents: A Review

Abstract

High expectations set by the parents and society coupled with peer competition and academic work load creates tremendous pressure on the adolescents from Class 9 to Class 12.  Unable to cope with the stress during the ‘so called crucial years of their academic life’ can have an adverse effect on the physical, mental, social, emotional and psychological wellbeing of the adolescents. During the ‘high stress period’, the adolescents who are not equipped with adequate coping mechanism may be at increased risk for depression, anxiety and sometimes suicidal tendencies which may manifest in the form of some of deviant behaviors like loneliness, aggression or bully behavior. Thisreview of literature aims to understand the impact of academic stress on the some of the frequently noticed deviant behavior viz. loneliness, substance abuse and the negative impact on learning that may be exhibited by the adolescents. The specific objectives of this review are to identify the factors causing academic stress that result in the deviant behaviors, develop a coping strategy to minimize the impact of deviant behavior during the crucial development phase and to provide counseling guidelines to deal with the such adolescents. The study gave an insight into the impact of academic stress on the behavior of the adolescents more specifically on the deviant behavior. The findings through the above study will help in formulating the counseling strategies for such students, which will be beneficial to the School Counselors, Teachers and Parents.