The role of perceived stress and gender on the relationship between school pressure andemotional problems in Dutch adolescents

Abstract

The HBSC 2021 report highlights a significant decline in the mental health of girls in the Netherlands, with emotional problems increasing from 28% to 44% among secondary school girls. The report also indicates a substantial rise in school pressure, particularly affecting girls. Existing research shows that school pressure can significantly impact students' emotional well-being, leading to various psychological challenges. However, how this relationship develops and the role of gender have not yet been investigated. This study aims to explore the role of perceived stress and gender in the relationship between school pressure and emotional problems. To investigate this, regression analyses were performed on data from 5159 secondary education students aged 12 to 16 years old (boys= 50.8% and girls= 49.2%) from the HBSC 2021 dataset. The analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between school pressure and emotional problems, with perceived stress partially mediating this relationship. This means that perceived stress partially explains why school pressure affects emotional problems. Additionally, gender was found to significantly moderate the relationship between school pressure and emotional problems, indicating that gender influences the strength of this relationship. This could explain the significantly greater increase in emotional problems among girls compared to boys between 2017 and 2021. Further research in this area is crucial for developing effective interventions to mitigate the negative psychological consequences of school pressure on adolescents, taking into account gender differences. Understanding these dynamics is essential for providing appropriate support and promoting the emotional well-being of young individuals.