Causes of stress in schoolchildren, their impact on the body and ways out of stressful situations. School stress: what it is and how to deal with it

school stress

School stress plays a leading role in the rapid deterioration of health. In the development of school stress, a complex school program and additional extracurricular activities play an important role. Many students constantly experience a lack of time in preparing for classes. School studies are constant tests, surveys. Everyday school stresses eventually turn into a real problem and threaten the destruction of health, deterioration in academic performance, and bad behavior. Signs of stress among students include: anxiety, fears, irritability. The problem of studying the level of anxiety arising from stress in relation to educational activities is relevant. Anxiety affects student performance and behavior. Of great importance is the study of this state in the educational activity of the student in order to improve his performance (This shows the relevance of the work.) I chose this topic for study, since I myself am often exposed to stress. I do not have enough time to prepare my homework, I often feel tired and anxious. So I wanted to find out how you can protect yourself from stressful influences. In my work, I described how stressful situations affect human health, found out what causes stress in students. Particular attention is paid to the study of anxiety as one of the causes of school stress. I took students in grades 7 and 9 as the object of my study and tracked how their level of anxiety changes, and also found out how student performance is related to anxiety. From the scientific literature, I found many recommendations for relieving stress. During the experiment, I found out how autogenic training and special breathing exercises help to relieve feelings of anxiety and tension.

Study of self-assessment of the level of personal anxiety of students in grades 7, 9. When doing the work, I interviewed 86 students of 7th and 9th grades by the method of anonymous questioning. The survey consisted of 2 questionnaires, which were compiled with the support of the teacher. Questionnaire No. 1 (see Appendix) "On the relevance of the chosen topic" contains 2 questions. With the help of 1 question, I found out whether the topic of stress is relevant at school. From another question, it became clear in what situations schoolchildren are exposed to stress.

The children name the following situations that cause them stress:

Test papers

Anxiety in front of the teacher

Grades (especially at the end of the quarter)

Condemnation of classmates.

Questionnaire No. 2 (see Appendix) helped to identify changes in the level of anxiety among students in grades 7 and 9. The questionnaire presented 5 questions for consideration. An analysis of answers to question 1 helped to find out that 45% of students in grades 9 and 40% of students in grades 7 experience anxiety. After analyzing the answers to question 2, it was noticed that 95% of students in grades 7 and 9 are worried about learning failures. The feeling of fatigue is manifested in 86% of students in grades 9 and 81% of students in grades 7. The results of answers to question 4 showed that 10% of students in grades 9 were bored at school, and in grades 7 such children were 11% of the respondents.

Thus, from the given digital data it can be seen that:

1 The level of anxiety by the 9th grade increases. This is apparently connected with the upcoming final exams, for some students with the choice of a life path.

2 Students who do well in their studies are less prone to anxiety (with an increase in the quality of study, the indicator of anxiety decreases)

Conclusion: The level of anxiety is an indicator of individual sensitivity to stress. Students who are self-confident, hardy, calm have a low level of anxiety, therefore they are less susceptible to school stress. 9 You can learn to cope with school stress, reduce anxiety and prevent neurotic disorders. For further experimental work, a group of classmates consisting of 5 people was selected. These students often experience anxiety about academic failures, fear of tests, academic performance is satisfactory. Each was offered forms: "My work week." In them, students noted the results of their self-assessment on the manifestation of signs of anxiety and tension. (See Appendix) To relax and relieve tension, these students performed autogenic training and breathing exercises (see Appendix) for a month, during classes (during the big break), and to restore strength, massage of active points was carried out (massage of the earlobes , pressing with the thumb on the point between the lower lip and chin, massage of the bridge of the nose and the area "of the third century). A month later, most of the guys showed positive results. Anxiety about learning failures, fear of tests decreased, they began to react less painfully to teachers' comments, and confidence in their abilities increased. Thus, each student can reduce the level of anxiety, and therefore cope with the consequences of school stress. To do this, you must have a desire. The application contains material that will help students cope with the manifestation of school stress.

Conclusion.

Unfortunately, stress is a common and common occurrence. Minor stresses are inevitable and harmless. Stress is an integral part of human existence, you just need to learn to distinguish between an acceptable degree of stress and too much stress. Zero stress is impossible. It is impossible to underestimate the harm caused by such a condition, because stress reduces the effectiveness of any activity, stress negatively affects health. Obviously, the problem of stressful conditions was relevant even in the Stone Age, and it remains relevant in our time. Especially in our day, a person is exposed to a huge number of factors that can cause such experiences. It should be noted that at the moment there are a very large number of methods, techniques and even long-term training programs aimed at combating stress. Therefore, everyone should take care of their health and get out of stressful situations without unnecessary problems for the body.

School is a new responsible milestone in a child's life and, unfortunately, the beginning of this path does not always go smoothly. school stress. And this should not be surprising. After all, the period when children go to first grade falls on 6-7 years, and this is the time of the next age crisis. Now there are significant changes in the body: a rapid increase in growth, changes in the work of the cardiovascular, nervous, respiratory and other systems. This leads to increased fatigue, irritability, mood swings. The character also changes: at the beginning of the crisis, the baby “regresses”, and then makes a sharp “jump” in development forward. Now it is clear that if such a “breaking” is imposed on the important mission of a first-grader, it becomes not sweet for children and their parents. About what surprises “school stress” can bring and how to survive this new, difficult period in a child’s life, we talked with the child psychotherapist of the ALTERA center Lyudmila Batalina.1. Fear. If the child begins to be afraid to sleep on his own, wet the bed, or he develops tics, stuttering, then the matter was not without great fear. And most often the cause is the scream or punishment of the teacher. Be sure to ask the child how she talks, and talk to the mothers of classmates to confirm the information. If the teacher really raises her voice, first try to explain to the child that this is how she expresses emotions and does not wish them harm. Ask the teacher to at least explain to the children why she yells at them. If this does not help, it is necessary to change the teacher or school, and the child must be shown to a neurologist and psychotherapist.2. Boycott. Let's start with the good news: in the first grade, outcasts change like gloves, and a child who was categorically rejected by the team yesterday may become a favorite tomorrow. Everything is in the hands of the parents. First, persuade the child not to lose heart and begin to act. Talk to the teacher, explain the situation and ask her to praise the child more often, give him responsible tasks, appoint, for example, the head of the class. This will improve his image in the eyes of his classmates. Second, after talking with your child, find out what his classmates are interested in. Perhaps everyone is playing with some toy that you don't have. In this case, it is better to buy it. You can also invite your child to invite a few classmates home and have a tea party or take the whole company, for example, to the zoo. If all these tricks do not change the situation, then the reason is in the child himself (in his behavior), and the problem must be solved together with a psychologist. 3. Fatigue. For some children, the school load is simply unbearable (due to age or characteristics of the nervous system). After 15 minutes, such guys lose interest in the lesson, look out the window, get distracted. They do not make noise, do not shout from the spot, do not interfere with the teacher's explanations. You may notice that the child gets tired quickly and goes to bed early. You can help a first-grader by changing his daily routine. Cancel all circles and sections during the first year of study. Make sure that at 21.00 your child is already resting, and be sure to try to pick him up from school before daytime sleep (do not leave him for an after-school). Help him with his lessons, and, of course, be sure to walk in the fresh air every day. If that doesn't work, talk to your teacher about one "day off" a week where you can just study at home. And ask your pediatrician about the additional intake of vitamins and trace elements.4. Protest. As a rule, kids protesting against something become aggressive: they are naughty, violate discipline in a lesson, at a break, quarrel with classmates, interfere with their play, refuse to go to school, break toys or school stationery, etc. This is how a first-grader protests new system and parents. It is important to find out what it is connected with. First, ask the teacher yourself about the child's relationship with classmates, about how he behaves at breaks and on the street. And remember that the child needs to be supported in any situation and reminded that you want to help him. Even if the teacher scolds the child in front of you, do not rush to pull him by the ear in front of the whole class and take the side of the teacher. Silently listen to her point of view, thank her and say that you will definitely find out everything at home. To understand the situation, you must also listen to the opinion of the child, and if you humiliate him in public, he may stop trusting you. And ask the teacher next time to scold your child in private. At home, calmly explain to the child that he is part of a team that has its own laws. For example: “You see, at school it’s not customary to jump up if you know the answer. You just need to raise your hand. Understand, these are the rules, and they must be observed by everyone.”5. Closure. Some first-graders begin to close up, often cry, blush, get lost even at the slightest remark from the teacher. The main task of parents is to ask the child every day about what is happening at school, how his life has changed, whether he is comfortable now. Ask about his desk mate, about their relationship, about the "good" and "bad" in his opinion, the guys in the class, about lunch in the cafeteria. Even in such seemingly small things, the cause of the problem can be revealed. Having learned it, try to find a way out together with the child (for example, by asking the teacher to transplant). If the baby categorically does not want to tell, try to find out information using stories from your life. Say: "You know, when I went to school, I had problems...". And point to a couple of different examples. Perhaps this will allow the baby to talk. Experts say the main thing is to get in touch with the child, help him relax and get used to the unfamiliar environment. Then you can calmly go about your business while your child, together with other schoolchildren, learns the world around them through the prism of the school.Based on materials from segodnya.ua

According to the Institute of Age Physiology, the school is the cause of up to 40% of all factors that worsen the living conditions of children. It is known that about 20% of children with borderline mental health disorders come to school, and by the end of the first grade they are 60-70%.

School stress plays a leading role in such a rapid deterioration in the health of children. One of the main reasons for its occurrence is problems with adaptation in children. Entering first grade, moving to middle school (5th grade), “profiling” in high school or moving from one school to another lead to serious problems: the child loses the support of old friends, he has to get used to new classmates and teachers .

The function of elementary school is not only to develop the individual abilities of children, to teach what is necessary, but to help them adapt. An adapted child gets sick much less often. Children's health experts note that Russian schools often end up with children who simply have not received basic communication skills. The situation when a child from a wealthy family almost does not communicate with his peers, as parents consider it "harmful", is not so rare. Therefore, when choosing a school, it is necessary to pay attention to the socialization of young children in preschool and primary school. Such a socialization of a child in a team from an early age is a very important factor in maintaining his health in subsequent classes.

However, even a student who has adapted to the team is not always ready to study non-stop. The ill-conceived structure of the courses, the acute lack of time that accompanies the school life of children from the first to the last year of study, and other factors also lead to stress and illness. According to the Ministry of Education, over the past 60 years, the monthly teaching load has increased by 100%. Another destructive factor is the “school competition”, which results in the desire for success at any cost. It is good if the study is easy for the child, and he studies with interest. But sometimes participation in such a "competition" is given at the cost of a huge effort or turns into a humiliating "begging" for a good mark. Students often become "hostages" of such phenomena as the mood of the teacher, his attitude towards this child or the subjectivity of his personal ideas about the evaluation criteria.
Some tend to believe that the health of the child at school is affected by the accompanying medical support. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The roots of a child's health problems are rarely exclusively medical. If children are overworked, they get sick faster. Some schools (mostly private) use special techniques that develop memory, attention, thinking, imagination, subject-speech skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing).

At the same time, stress is not the only cause of schoolchildren's illnesses. Often, surgical and orthopedic pathology (violation of posture, flat feet), as well as ENT pathology and eye diseases are “responsible” for this. Quite frequent are vegetative-vascular dystonia, neurological disorders, allergic diseases, and endocrine disorders. A five-fold increase in the prevalence of postural disorders in schoolchildren from the beginning to the end of education was established. It is estimated that 64% of scoliosis cases are due to uncomfortable school furniture.

Psychiatry and psychology Articles

How can a child deal with stress at school?

Stress and subsequent adjustment disorders in school-age children are different, accounting for up to 40% of the reasons for seeking help from a specialist. Stress is classified from mild (conflicts at school) to severe, when a child is abused, gets physically or mentally injured, is in a life-threatening condition for a long time (had an accident, witnessed a road accident, sexually assaulted a teenage girl with peers or adult males, etc.). However, this gradation is conditional: severe stress can also arise in an excellent student who has received only one bad mark. Psychologist, candidate of medical sciences tells about the signs of stress and helping a child in a difficult situation Mikhail Vasilievich Shipilov.

Often there is an acute reaction to stress, occurring within 8 hours from the moment of the stress factor. By the end of this period, children have an adaptation to it. If the stressor continues to act within 48 hours, the reaction should pass. These adjustment disorders persist for no more than 6 months. Otherwise, we should talk about a mental illness (depression or other mental disorders).

The most common manifestations of stress

• Difficulty or disturbance of sleep, when the child sobs in a dream, he has nightmares, he wakes up from them. All signs of hypersensitivity are observed.
• The child becomes more irritable, there are outbursts of anger, not typical for him in the past.
• The child has difficulty concentrating attention, refuses activities that he previously successfully performed (preparing lessons, eating, drinking, etc.), laziness and fatigue that are not characteristic of him appear.
• A return to those types of behavior that were characteristic of the child in the early stages of development (enuresis, rudeness, excessive childishness in behavior, excessive attachment to the mother, biting nails, sucking fingers, etc.).
• Adolescents often have antisocial behavior, aggressiveness (may be rude to a classmate or teacher, hit someone).
• The emergence of psychosomatic disorders. For example, a student loses her voice because the teacher said that her grades would be low.

What parents can do on their own

• Any stress disturbs the mental balance, so it is necessary to establish balanced rhythm of life. Did the child sleep, eat, rest enough after even a small physical or mental load?
• Children's food should contain large amount of vitamins groups B, C (fresh fruits, vegetables, strawberries or blueberries 1 glass 1 time per day and / or taking multivitamins).
• No overstimulation. Many parents, on the contrary, try to distract the child, load it with information, which has a bad effect on his psyche.
• No scandals, tantrums and unnecessary stress about the condition of the child.
• Parents need reviseexcessive demands to your own child about learning and behavior.
• Required support and protection in any form: soothe and support the child, let him know that his parents love him. Close contact with a “safe” person for the child is very important (light massage, stroking, pressure, kneading, touching, bathing together for a short time, swimming in the pool).
• Only after the child has calmed down, re-analyze the situation, explain what the child did wrong, which was not taken into account in a particular situation. It is necessary to assess the specific facts in the behavior, and not the child.
• You can try to use herbal decoctions with a calming effect: soothing collection, mint tea, lemon balm, valerian root decoction. Soothing baths for 10-15 minutes at a temperature of 38 ° C with flavored additives are also suitable. Use aromatic oils, adding them to a special lamp at night.

When to See a Psychologist

The psychologist usually "connects" already in "neglected" cases. Most often they occur when the stressor is in the family. For example, the father beats, having previously "loaded" with alcohol. Another case: single mothers, demanding from the child more than he can (good grades, compliance with the ideals of the mother), from impotence can go to physical punishment, especially in relation to the son. The most common is the failure to provide protection to your own child who experienced stress at school (“It’s your own fault that you were beaten.” “That’s right, you got it on business.” “You are not a man, but a weakling”).

How can a psychologist help?

It should be remembered: the earlier the parents turned to a specialist, the better the child. The psychologist does not evaluate the position of the child (correctly or incorrectly), but creates an algorithm: what to do if there is a similar situation. Sometimes a student cannot remember the situation due to which he developed stress, that is, he develops complete or partial memory loss (this is a defense mechanism). If the family does not provide the child with protection and support, then the psychologist builds this system, and also helps him develop skills to deal with stress (muscle relaxation, autogenic training), gives place to the feelings that arose in response to stress (drawings, role-playing, body therapy). ).

Then, training is organized for the interaction of a stressed child with other children: defending one's position, the ability to constructively show one's aggression.