Academic Stress among High School and Higher Secondary Students: A Narrative Review of Sources and Challenges
Acceptance: 04/02/2026
Published: 31/03/2026
Abstract
Academic stress has become a major concern among high school and higher secondary students all around the globe due to increasing academic demands and expectations. The present study adopts a narrative literature review approach to identify the sources and challenges of academic stress. The study is based on the secondary data collected from the peer-reviewed journals and academic sources. The selected studies were then reviewed and organised into themes. The findings indicate that major stressors among the students include examination pressure, heavy workload, and parental expectations. Psychological factors such as emotional maladjustment and poor coping abilities further intensify stress among students. The inconsistencies in gender-based findings were observed during the review of literature. The review also highlights that there is very limited qualitative and context-based research. Overall, the study emphasises the need for supportive educational practices to help students manage stress effectively and improve their well-being.
Keynote: Academic stress; High school students; Higher secondary students; Examination anxiety; Parental pressure; Curriculum demands
Author Name:
Pandey, Himanshu Kumar; Pandey, Yogendra
Pages:
423-429
DOI Number:
10.5281/zenodo.19380072
Reference
• Ahmead, M. (2025). Determinants of academic achievement and its association with depression and anxiety among Palestinian secondary school students. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1717388. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1717388
• Akande, J. A., Olowonirejuaro, A. O., & Okwara-Kalu, C. E. (2014). A study of level and sources of stress among secondary school students. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 4(5), 32–36.
• Bedewy, D., & Gabriel, A. (2015). Examining perceptions of academic stress and its sources among university students: The Perception of Academic Stress Scale. Health Psychology Open, 2(2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102915596714
• Deb, S., Strodl, E., & Sun, J. (2015). Academic stress, parental pressure, anxiety and mental health among Indian high school students. International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 5(1), 26–34. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.ijpbs.20150501.04
• Elavarasi, D., & Rajendran, P. (2021). Academic stress among secondary grade students of Chennai (South) city. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 9(2), 856–864. https://doi.org/10.25215/0902.084
• Haritay, S., Angolkar, M., Koparde, V., Oswal, D., & Carvalho, A. (2025). Academic stress in adolescents: Findings from a school-based study in Belagavi district. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1631136. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1631136
• Jassal, N. (2021). Relationship between academic stress and emotional intelligence in high school students. Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Open Journal, 7(1), 30–35. https://doi.org/10.17140/PCSOJ-7-162
• Kalita, S., & Nisanth, P. M. (2023). Unraveling the threads of academic stress: Exploring theoretical constructs and coping mechanisms. International Journal of Scientific Research in Modern Science and Technology, 2(12), 68–73. https://doi.org/10.59828/ijsrmst.v2i12.174
• Lin, X., Su, S., & McElwain, A. (2019). Academic stressors as predictors of achievement goal orientations of American and ESL international students. Journal of International Students, 9(4), 1134–1154. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i4.752
• Ma, A., Tan, S., Chen, J., & Lou, H. (2024). Stress events and stress symptoms in Chinese secondary school students: Gender and academic year characteristics of the relationship. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1360907. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1360907
• Mandal, P. (2021). Factors of academic stress among secondary and higher secondary school students. International Journal of Advance Research and Innovation, 9(3), 29–32. https://doi.org/10.51976/ijari.932105
• Mishra, P., & Choudhuri, R. (2024). A study of gender difference in academic stress among higher secondary school students of Varanasi. National Journal of Education, 22(1), 205–215.
• Reddy, K. J., Menon, K. R., & Thattil, A. (2018). Academic stress and its sources among university students. Biomedical & Pharmacology Journal, 11(1), 531–537. http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bpj/1404
• Reshu, Kumar, S., & Rathi, A. (2025). Adolescent academic stress and exam anxiety in schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Acta Psychologica, 261, 105820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105820
• Sailo, H., & Varghese, D. (2024). Academic stress, its sources, effects and coping mechanisms among college students. International Journal of Science and Healthcare Research, 9(3), 124–132. https://doi.org/10.52403/ijshr.20240316
• Saqib, M., Hisham-Ul-Hassan, K., Shadab, I., & Mehmood, N. (2023). Impact of academic stress on secondary school student’s performance: A qualitative exploration. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 12(4), 1068–1079. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2023.12.4.85
• Subramani, C., & Venkatachalam, J. (2019). Sources of academic stress among higher secondary school students. International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, 9(7), 488–492.
• Thapa, B., Chaudhary, S., Karki, R., Karki, A., Sapkota, S., Li, M., & Hu, Y. (2025). Sleep quality is associated with stress in secondary school students. BMC Public Health, 25, 1397. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22652-0
Writer Name
Pandey, Himanshu Kumar; Pandey, Yogendra
Pages
423-429
DOI Numbers
10.5281/zenodo.19380072
Our Social Networks
AD EDUXIAN Publication is dedicated to advancing educational research and providing innovative learning solutions. We offer a wide range of services including publishing, editing, design, and marketing to support authors and researchers in their academic and professional endeavors.
Never miss any important news. Subscribe to our newsletter.