Teen Stress Today Can Leave Long‑Term Mental Wounds

The pressure students feel at fifteen can stick around and hurt their mental health well into their twenties. Researchers from a London university followed 4, 714 kids born in the early ’90s for many years. They looked at how feeling squeezed by school work, especially during big exams, affected later life. The study found that when kids felt overwhelmed at fifteen, the bad mood didn’t fade after exams. Instead, they kept reporting more depression each year up to at least age twenty‑two, with the strongest link seen when they were sixteen. Even more striking was the link to self‑harm. For every extra point on a nine‑point scale of academic pressure at fifteen, the odds of self‑harm rose by eight percent. That risk stayed higher until age twenty‑four. The research also shows that stress can start earlier, as early as eleven or fourteen, and predict future depression.This suggests that the problem isn’t only in final school years but begins much sooner. Because academic pressure is something schools can change, the authors urge a “whole‑school” approach. Instead of just helping individual students cope, schools should rethink how many exams they give and put more focus on social and emotional learning. The study used data from before COVID‑19 and recent policy shifts, so it reflects older school systems. The researchers warn that their work is observational and can’t prove cause and effect, but it highlights a clear pattern. Overall, the findings point to academic pressure as a modifiable risk factor for long‑term mental health problems. Changing school culture could reduce depression and self‑harm among young people.