Academic Stress among Adolescents in Private and Government Secondary Schools of Patna

In this study, the authors explored the variation in academic stress among the adolescent students of the secondary schools in Patna, Bihar, in a study that involved both private and government schools. The study sought to establish whether the institutional type had any effect on perceived academic stress levels. The quantitative comparative design was adopted, and 200 students were chosen using stratified random sampling. Academic stress was evaluated using a standardized scale of reliability. Descriptive statistics and an independent trials t-test were used to analyse the data. Results have showed that the level of stress was much higher among the students in the private schools as compared to government schools, and the effect size is also large. These results imply that the competitive academic environments and academic achievement expectations can be the causes of higher stress, and the organized school-based mental health assistance is necessary.