Question

READ THE FOLLOWING:
My topic is the impact of school stress on youth anxiety and depression. That means I will look
at how things like homework, tests, college pressure, bullying, and social expectations at school
can cause or make worse feelings of anxiety and depression in teenagers. I will explain what
school stress is, show how it affects students' mood and behavior, and explore possible ways
schools can help.
In a few sentences, explain why this topic is worthy of being researched and written about for
this project. What makes it important or interesting?
This topic is worth researching because many students feel overwhelmed by school, and mental
health problems can hurt learning, attendance, and overall well-being. Learning more about
the connection between school stress and teen anxiety/depression could help teachers, parents,
and students make changes that improve safety and success. It's important and interesting
because it ties everyday school experiences to real health outcomes and possible solutions.
Why are you the right person to write about this topic? Explain any personal connections or
special reasons you are interested in this subject.
I'm the right person to write about this because I'm a 10th grader who deals with school
pressure and has seen classmates struggle with anxiety and depression. I talk with friends
about stress, notice how it affects sleep, grades, and relationships, and I want to find practical
ways to make school less harmful for us.
What are you trying to prove through your work? Draft a potential thesis statement. Remember,
a thesis should have a topic, opinion, and reasoning.
High levels of school stress contribute to increased
anxiety and depression among teenagers because academic pressure, social expectations, and
a lack of adequate mental health support combine to overwhelm students, so schools should
reduce harmful stress by adjusting workloads, improving counseling services, and promoting
healthier school environments.

NOW….
For a high schoolers response



Topic:

“ Impact of school stress on youth, anxiety, and depression”




Find the following

:

Thesis Point : inadequate support 
______________________________________________________


Bibliographer Info
(Author, Title,
Date)



URL / Database



Key Quote or Piece of Evidence


Find
Three sources for the above

Answer 1

Thesis point: inadequate support

Three sources (author/title/date; URL; key quote or piece of evidence)

1) World Health Organization — "Adolescent mental health" (Fact sheet, updated 2021)
URL: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
Key evidence/quote: "Half of mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases remain undetected and untreated." (This shows many young people with anxiety/depression are not getting the help they need.)

2) American School Counselor Association (ASCA) — "The School Counselor and Student Ratios 2020–2021" (ASCA data report, 2021)
URL: https://www.schoolcounselor.org (search: "Student-to-School-Counselor Ratio 2020–2021") — direct PDF available from ASCA site
Key evidence/quote: The national student-to-school-counselor ratio reported for 2020–2021 is about 424:1, well above ASCA’s recommended 250:1. (This shows schools often lack enough counselors to meet students’ mental health needs.)

3) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), United States, 2019 (data brief/report published 2019/2020)
URL: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
Key evidence/quote: In 2019, about 36.7% of high school students reported they had felt persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness for two weeks or more during the past year. (High prevalence of symptoms indicates substantial need for school-based support that many schools may not be providing.)

If you want, I can convert these into MLA/APA citations or find one peer-reviewed journal article linking insufficient school mental-health services directly to worse anxiety/depression outcomes.