Background

There is no doubt that the exam period can be a stressful time for families. Exams are the culmination of many years of work for children and young people. They can determine the path they take in the future including whether they go into further or higher education. Parents have an important role in helping their children and young people cope with exam stress. Parents want their children to do well in exams. Some parents have high expectations for their child and others are worried if they will achieve a particular grade.

Research

We know that one of the biggest concerns that parents have is their child’s mental health[1]. Research has shown that exam stress can have a negative impact on a child’s mental health. It has argued that exam stress was likely to be experienced by 25% of all students but girls reported it more readily[2]. While exam stress is quite common, the effects of it are varied and can be different for different children. Some research suggests that some stress can be positive as it can lead to improving attention and motivation: exams were viewed as a challenge, which improved performance.[3] However, it is more commonly believed that exam stress has a negative effect on children. Ultimately, exam stress can have a negative effect on a child’s wellbeing and affect their ability to achieve to their full potential[4]. Exams have also been shown to a greater stressor than anything else in a child’s life so far.[5]

Parental pressure and expectation can motivate some children but can increase stress if the expectations are unrealistic.[6] Some research has shown that it was possible to identify higher stress and test anxiety in children with higher perceived parental expectations.[7]

Top tips

Below are some ideas to help you manage your child’s exam stress:

Environment

Encourage your child to spend time preparing / revising for their exams. Provide a space that encourages your child to want to complete their revision. Make sure the environment is conducive to learning by turning off distractions, e.g. television / mobile phone. Encourage your child to take regular breaks away from their study and if possible, get outside and benefit from some physical activity. It has also been proven that spending time with family pets help alleviate exam stress as well.

Nutrition

Before your child starts their revision or goes to take an exam, provide a nutritious snack or meal. During this time chat with your child about how their revision is going, ensuring they feel relaxed before they start their revision or go to take an exam.

Nurture Resilience

Children all have different levels of resilience and different ways of responding to and recovering from stressful times. They will also have different ways of showing when the demands that are being put upon them outweigh their capacity to cope. They might become emotional, withdrawn, defiant, angry or resentful and even the most resilient of children have days where it all gets too much, but low resilience will likely drive certain patterns of behaviour more often. The great news is that resilience is something that can be nurtured in all children. Parents play a vital role in promoting and supporting the building of resilience in their children.

Self-Esteem

Children, specifically teenagers, often face uncertainties; they have to cope with competitive environments, challenging situations, meeting difficult expectations, etc. Many struggle with confidence. Help them believe in themselves. Reinforcement and encouragement from parents can go a long way towards strengthening your child’s self-esteem, and instilling feelings such as optimism & relief.

Communicate with school

If your child is struggling with the pressure of exams and finding it difficult to cope, consider contacting your child’s school. Many schools have support available for children and their parents at this time.

If you live in NI and you are concerned about the impact exams are having on your young person contact Parenting NI for support and information on 0808 8010722

[1] Big Parenting Survey 2021 – https://www.parentingni.org/

[2] Bradley, R., McCraty, R., Atkinson, M., Arguelles, L., Rees, R. A., and Tomasino, D. (2007) Reducing test anxiety and improving test performance in America’s schools: Results from the TestEdge national demonstration study. Boulder Creek, CA: HeartMath Research Center.

[3] Putwain, D.W., Connors, L., Woods, K. and Nicholson, L.J. (2012) ‘Stress and anxiety surrounding forthcoming Standard Assessment Tests in English schoolchildren’, Pastoral Care in Education, 30 (4), pp. 289-302.

[4] Denscombe, M. (2000) ‘Social conditions for stress: Young people’s experience of doing GCSEs’, British Educational Research Journal, 26, pp. 259–374

[5] Ibid

[6] Fox, N., Henderson, H., Marshall, P., Nichols, K., and Ghera, M. (2005) ‘Behavioural Inhibition: Linking Biology and behaviour within a developmental framework’, Annual Review Psychology, 56, pp. 235-262.

[7] Peleg, O., Deutch, C. and Dan, O. (2016) ‘Test anxiety among female college students and its relation to perceived parental academic expectations and differentiation of self, Learning and Individual Differences, 49, pp. 428 –436.