New research by Quizlet and YouGov shows that parents remarkably underestimate the ‘extent of the pressure’ that exams are putting on their children. 

The recent survey reveals a ‘serious disparity’ between the opinions of parents and students regarding how much exams impact mental health. In light of this, and of University Mental Health Day on Thursday 9th March, TV and NHS doctor and advocate for student mental health, Dr Amir Khan, has partnered with Quizlet to provide the educational tools, resources, and top tips to help parents support their children as they near exam season. 

Quizlet is the world’s biggest global learning platform and is used by over 300,000 university students and 70,000 teachers in the UK. Their survey with YouGov found a disconnect between parents and students with exams and student mental health.

The YouGov survey asked 2,076 students and adults about their concerns for students’ mental health while studying. YouGov asked parents if exams had a negative effect on students’ mental health and only 40% of parents thought they did. However, 89% of students said that exams had a negative impact on their mental health. 

A similar YouGov survey found that 60% of 18–24-year-old students have felt a level of stress or anxiety that has interfered with their day-to-day life. 44% of the same age category say they do not feel comfortable talking to friends or family about their mental health; however, 47% would talk to their friends to cope with stress, 30% would speak to their romantic partner and then 28% would talk to their parents. 

Dr Amir said: ‘The YouGov survey reveals a concerning gap of awareness in parents and carers of how exam choices are affecting the mental health of their children. There are all sorts of pressures on young people today, especially post-Covid when some students have lost practice or are even sitting important exams for the first time. Parents can help them recognise signs of stress and anxiety and provide practical help to alleviate stress and aid revision.’ However, with parents not always being around with university students studying/living away from home, and the fact many students do not feel comfortable talking to their parents, this isn’t an easy situation to fix. 

However, Dr Amir notes some top tips that parents can help with, such as looking out for signs of stress and being open to talk about nerves, providing the right resources to help them learn, having good sleep, encouraging exercise and prioritising down time.  

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