The Effects of Stress on Academic Performance Among High School Students in Lusaka.

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to identify the various factors associated with stress and how those factors affect academic performance among high school students in Lusaka BACKGROUNDThe word stress brings about the thoughts of depression, anxiety and other potentially life-threatening conditions in the mind of an individual. Every person is exposed to stress at some point in their lives, and it is an inevitable part of a students life as it takes a toll on their emotional well-being, academic performance as well as their physical health. Different factors cause stress among students. These include relationships with family and friends, examinations and deadlines, poor time management, social media, financial instability, future career thoughts, depression, anxiety and many more. Educational environments are extremely competitive, and students must be able to deal with academic related stress by relying on their coping capabilities. Most students are unable to cope with stress. This leads to different behavioural patterns such as alcoholism and substance abuse such as "dagga" (marijuana) and codeine in order to escape the harsh reality. This eventually leads to absentia in school and an increased number of school drop outs. Stress is known to be the source of many problems among youth and its effects can be as toxic as suicide. Therefore, its important that parents or guardians, teachers, the students themselves and the entire nation unite and ensure that supportive data is communicated to students for them to cope with their stress levels in a responsible manner.