“We have a pandemic of psychological stress”

Are there differences between girls and boys?
Basically both genders are affected, but perhaps a few more girls. Above all, psychological stress manifests itself very differently in girls and boys: girls react more often with internalizing symptoms such as anxiety or eating disorders, while boys are more likely to show externalizing behavior, for example increased aggressiveness.

Setting up a monitoring system for the mental health of students

Almost a year ago you launched the project funded by the Robert Bosch Foundation “Monitor Education and Mental Health (BiPsy Monitor)” started. Have you already gained initial insights?
The project started in January 2023, we are still in the initial phase. We are currently preparing Germany-wide surveys in schools. However, we have already had intensive discussions with schools in advance to find out how they experience the issue of psychological stress among the students and what structures they have in place to support children and young people.

It has become clear that the topic of behavioral disorders is currently one of the most important topics in schools. Many teachers say that psychological stress among students has a significant impact on everyday school life. And many schools also say that they do not have the structures to adequately support students.

Above all, there are not enough positions in school social work and school psychology. The school barometer at the end of 2022 already showed this. According to this, there are no school social work offers in 40 percent of schools, and even in schools where there are such offers, every second school management says that the needs of the students cannot be adequately met. I’m now curious to see whether these observations will also be reflected when we start surveying for the BiPsy Monitor in the fall.

Schools are sensitized to the problem

What additional support do schools need in order to better support children and young people?
Above all, more human resources are needed in schools in order to be able to respond to the increased stress levels among students. A good approach is the Mental Health Coaches project of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, which starts in the new school year. At the University of Leipzig, we provide scientific support for the project and then integrate the evaluation into the BiPsy monitor. Above all, we want to determine where mental health coaches can help best and where more support is needed. The problem is that there are only 90 to 100 of these coaches available across Germany. Of course that’s not enough.

Schools are unlikely to get more staff any time soon. How can schools support children and young people affected under these conditions?
Many schools are aware of the problem and are trying, for example, to reduce the pressure on exams. Even the school ministry in North Rhine-Westphalia announced at the start of the new school year that it would reduce the number of class tests in individual grades, allow alternative exam formats in some cases and give students more time for exams. This can provide relief and help students who, for example, have problems concentrating. And many schools are also trying to offer more opportunities for discussion and create spaces for this.

There are children for whom school offers an immediate supply space in their everyday lives, which gives them a daily structure and perhaps also the only warm meal of the day. For them, this security is lost during the holidays – which can further increase stress.

During the summer holidays, school support systems are not available to children and young people and they do not experience the regular routine of everyday school life. What effects does this have on children and young people under stress?
This can have different effects. Those for whom school causes stress and anxiety may experience more relief during the holidays, but they also tend to have difficulty getting back into everyday school life because they have weaned themselves from everyday school life during the holidays. And on the other hand, there are children for whom school offers a direct supply area in their everyday lives, which gives them a daily structure and perhaps also the only warm meal of the day. For them, this security is lost during the holidays – which can further increase stress.

Maintaining structure and social contacts during the holidays

How can children and young people with psychological stress get through the holidays and get back to school well afterwards?
You have to find a balance between a break, which all children need after a busy school year, and maintaining structure. A daily structure and maintaining social contacts are particularly important for children and young people with psychological stress. For example, you can continue to go to after-school care or take advantage of other holiday offers.

When school starts again, it is of course normal that it is not easy for children to get back into everyday school life after six weeks and to change their biorhythm again. But some also develop abnormalities and fears – you should keep this in mind and talk to them early on so that they don’t become overwhelmed again. Closer cooperation between school and parents is particularly important for students with psychological problems.

In order to determine how the student body is reacting and to notice any abnormalities, teachers should not only assess the level of learning in their classes at the start of school, but also take a kind of inventory of the students’ mental health through discussions. But many teachers do this quite intuitively anyway.

More human resources to deal with psychological stress

Do schools need more concepts to deal with psychological stress among students?
Yes, I think it is undisputed that the topic of mental health needs greater monitoring and greater awareness in order to provide good support for children and young people. But teachers cannot do this alone; they are overwhelmed. We therefore need more human resources in schools, especially in school social work and school psychology.

How do you assess the situation for the new school year?
We will carry the problem into the next school year and probably much longer. There is awareness of the problem and initial efforts are being made. But when you consider that almost a quarter of students show symptoms of mental illness, it is clear that much more investment needs to be made to support children. Otherwise there is a risk of chronification into adulthood.