The power of parents in helping kids beat academic stress
Positive coping strategies and parental role modeling can help reduce stress in adolescence
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Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development
As a mother of teenagers, I often wonder about the role of parental support in how adolescents experience stress. How useful are my own strategies as a role model for dealing with stress? Am I wrong for putting pressure on my children to get good grades? Do I have a lasting impact on their wellbeing in this stage of life? – Claudia
Parental roles and behaviors can shape teenage stress
Academic stress arises from the manifold demands of school or university. Coping strategies for handling stress can include active problem-solving, seeking support, and maintaining a positive attitude. Adults can help adolescents cope with stress by demonstrating that adults, too, tackle problems together and seek support when facing obstacles, and by openly talking about uncertainties with their teenagers.
In contrast, strategies like avoidance, withdrawal, or excessive brooding do not help teenagers cope. Poor stress management in teens can lead to declining academic performance and a loss of motivation. If teenagers are left alone with their stress, their academic outcomes and mental health often suffer.
Academic stress affects many children and teenagers worldwide. Parents are familiar with the situation: In addition to sitting in school for over 30 hours per week, many students spend their evenings doing homework and studying for exams. In Switzerland, about one-third of teenagers report being highly stressed, and girls are more affected than boys. Particularly concerning is that nearly 63% of 15-year-old girls feel overwhelmed by schoolwork, compared with 43% of boys. While family help, emotional support, and communication can reduce teens’ stress, such support from families has declined in recent years.
Parents are crucial role models for their children. Children of parents who handle stress constructively are themselves more likely to develop healthy coping mechanisms. So our own behavior as parents has a big impact. Next time you’re in a stressful situation, try seeking support instead of avoiding help and getting caught up in your work. When you’re stressed from a day at work, try to stay positive when talking to your children, even if you may be worrying in private.
“Children of parents who handle stress constructively are themselves more likely to develop healthy coping mechanisms.”
Unrealistically high academic expectations can cause harm
Of course, parents want their children to succeed in all aspects of life, including academically. However, parents’ high academic expectations can put additional pressure and strain on teenagers, which is more harmful than helpful. This can be a major source of stress for children. We should think carefully about how we communicate our ambitions to our children.
Parental warmth can mitigate the negative effects of academic pressure, such as psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Parental warmth is believed to be most effective at reducing such negative effects when the warmth comes from the parent who is applying pressure. While mothers tend both to show more warmth and to exert more pressure, pressure from fathers can have a stronger impact on a young person’s mental health. This may be due to social roles, as paternal pressure is often perceived as more authoritative and less emotionally sensitive. Carefully balancing parental expectations and emotional support is key – thoughtful communication and a reassuring hug can help when teens are feeling stressed.
“Parents have an impact on the academic stress and pressure that teenagers feel. They have a wonderful opportunity to be active in their children’s lives.”
Parents have an impact on the academic stress and pressure that teenagers feel. They have a wonderful opportunity to be active in their children’s lives. Experiencing some academic pressure is normal for students and leads to valuable learning opportunities. However, stress should not exceed tolerable levels over prolonged periods of time. By serving as role models in coping with stress, communicating sensitively about expectations, and being emotionally warm, parents can help their children through stressful periods in their lives.
Further readings
• How do different coping strategies develop and affect academic performance among children and adolescents across grade levels?
• What does cross-national evidence reveal about trends in school pressure and family support among young people in the Health Behavior in School Aged Children (HBSC) study?
• What is the relationship between parental support and adolescents’ ability to cope with academic stressors?
Footnotes
This article is part of a BOLD series of articles written by master’s students in Psychology from the University of Zurich in a seminar on ‘Risk and Protective Factors for Youth Mental Health’ taught and supervised by David Bürgin from the Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development (JCPYD) of the University of Zurich in the Spring Semester 2025.
Authors
Partner
Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development