What are the main stressors for female and male students in their final Leaving Certificate year?
Authors
Kinsella, Margaret
Issue Date
2004
Degree
BA Counselling and Psychotherapy
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
A total of 80 Leaving Certificate students from two disadvantaged schools in Dublin took part in this study. Female students and male students were equally represented. The aim of the study was to identify the main stressors in the lives of female and male students in their final Leaving Certificate year. The questionnaire used was a modified version of the Schools Stressors Inventory for Adolescents and the Life Events checklist. Analysis of the data identified significant stressors. The most significant were: fear of doing badly in the Leaving Certificate, future depending on getting good grades, fear of not getting enough points, feeling below average in some subj ects, and anxiety about career choice. The most significant gender differences noted were: feeling unattractive, overweight, and worries about acne. Other gender differences noted were difficulty communicating with parents, fear of dropping from honours to pass and bereavement of someone close. It can be concluded from the present study that major environmental sources of stress as perceived by the students were those related to the examination itself, worries about the future, poor self-esteem, dissatisfaction with body-image, communication with parents and life events e.g. bereavement. The implications of these findings were examined under the following headings: policy makers and educators, students and parents.