Summary

Anxiety can be broadly defined as “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically

about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” When looking at anxiety

through the lens of mental health is can also be described as “a nervous disorder characterized by

a state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic

attacks.” (Dictionary.com). While anxiety can affect any age group it is becoming extremely

prevalent in children and adolescents. These symptoms are often harder for younger children to

cope with because they are not as developed, and they do not always understand why it’ is

happening. They are not education and aware of what they can do to help themselves. Parents

often cannot find solutions and it can be difficult for them to find the types of supports when they

are not aware of why their children are experiencing this anxiety.

When looking at the why’s of increased anxiety in adolescents there are many factors that

have found to be contributors. Starting at home, the way a child is raised and the models and

parenting styles they are surrounded by can have a major impact on their emotional well-being.

High-stress home environments can lead to increased anxiety symptoms especially over a long

period of time. This can stem from over-protective or worrying parents but also other aspects of

the home. Looking at these impacts is not meant to but blame on parents for their children’s

anxiety but is meant to show how many factors can play a role. Those with low-income and low

socioeconomic status are subject to even more stressor situations including neighbor violence

which only helps to increase their unease and emotional distress. Low-socio economic

neighborhoods also tend to house school systems that struggle financially further playing a role

in a child’s life. Without higher incomes it is often harder for children to get services for anxiety

disorders.
 Beyond their families and households another factor that is negatively impacting mental

health in young people is the rise of technology. Today, children and adolescents are exposed to

technology at a very young age and kids are starting to get their own tablets and cellphones at

much earlier stages in life. Many young people have trouble going minutes without their

cellphones, never mind a whole six-hour school day. This addiction to screens is only working to

increase anxiety and depression for many reasons. Acceptance by peers and peer-victimization

are factors shown to play a role in mental health and the constant connections to cellphones and

social media create never-ending opportunities for kids to feel left out, talked about, and make

them feel lower self-worth. This leads to dread and fear that are often uncontrollable. These

symptoms can manifest into more severe generalized anxiety disorders but there are also many

other more specific types of anxiety that are being seen in adolescents.

Many of these types of anxieties are school related as well. Social anxiety is a major one

that can be related somewhat to the rise in technology but goes deeper into students actually

fearing face-to-face interactions with peers and sometimes teachers. This fear of social

interactions in turn leads to fear of going to school at all. Those with social anxieties can find

social situations unbearable which makes school an extremely uneasy place for them. Beyond the

social aspects, academics also can trigger anxiety symptoms in young people. It has become

quite common to hear the term “test-anxiety” especially with the increased pressure in

standardized testing and academic performance. Students feel such high responsibility and stress

associated with tests and it can lead to poor results that often are not an accurate depiction of

knowledge. A student could have a panic attack before the test even if they knew all of the

material and one bad day can have a major impact on their academic career. They are being

taught a variety of information to help them pass tests but often are not being taught how to deal
with the stress that these tests come with.

Due to an increase of these different types of anxieties and symptoms being experienced

by children and adolescents there has been an increased desire to try and figure out how to help.

While not all schools have adequate resources to support mental health, most have positions such

as that of the school psychologist that can play crucial roles in the treatments of these students

suffering from anxiety. There is research being done trying to find the best strategies looking at

therapies such as CBT and looking at their effectiveness. Beyond these specific techniques there

are also many useful things school psychologists can teach these adolescents that they can do on

their own when they start feeling anxiety symptoms rise. Breathing and mindfulness are two of

the most common strategies to be discussed. Being aware of one’s triggers and being able to be

conscious of not only the mental but physiological reactions to these triggers can be the first step

in combating them. Simple breathing techniques can help ground a person and allow them to

focus on something other than the anxious feelings. Learning some of these techniques at a

young age can be very useful not only in calming symptoms but also allowing adolescents to

overcome those symptoms in the moment. Conquering some of this fear and unease can create

less stress filled social interactions and improved academic performance in schools. School

psychologists can teach some of these techniques to not just the students but parents and teachers

as well. Helping other adult figures view the impact of stress and pressures on anxiety in

adolescents can be beneficial in creating a support system that is informed and working towards

the same goals.

Overall it is clear that anxiety is becoming more prevalent among young people and it is

an increasingly important topic to keep at the forefront. Adolescent mental health plays a role in

all aspects of their life whether its family, friends, and academics. They cannot be expected to
know how to cope on their own and it is up to school and families to continue to make insights

into these anxiety disorders. School psychologist can play a major role in increasing education

on anxiety and helping show how important is to educate students on ways they can manage

some of these symptoms. Students are struggling and it is something that cannot be overlooked

or ignored.