Adolescence is perhaps the most beautiful period of life, in which there are new experiences and friendships are made, but there are also difficulties to face.
We have conducted a survey of the school population based on seven areas: school, tobacco alcohol and drugs, family and friends, relationships, violence and safety, emotions, future goals. Although our findings are based on a small sample, we can notice difficulties in all these sectors.
School
86% are satisfied about the school they attend and only 24% have thought about changing schools. The majority of students have a good or very good relationship with classmates. The majority of students rate their relationships with teachers as very good. However, 83% of candidates feel pressure because of school to the point they cannot study. A possible result of this figure could be the high number of students that suffer from anxiety. On a scale from 1 to 10 we can see that 60% suffer quite often from anxiety.
26% of students have worse grades and 20% are getting failing grades.
Tobacco Alcohol Drugs
The vast majority (94%) of students surveyed declared they did not smoke or (2%) have tried drugs like marijuana. However, 12% have said they have been pressured to take drugs, smoke or drink.
Family and Friends
Although 50% of students have a large group of friends, 56% sometimes feel excluded from this group. 44% think it’s important to have a few good friends and 92% have at least one person to confide in. 90% have had friends who were “fake”.
As far as family, on a scale of 1 to 5 86% rated their relationship with their family between 3 and 5. However, more than a third stated their family doesn’t listen to them and pay attention to feelings.
Relationships
64% of students have dated and the vast majority have had healthy relationships 87.8%. About half of the respondents have either chosen to break off a relationship or have been left. About 3 out of 4 students believe in the importance of relationships in the period of adolescence.
Violence and Safety
Many people also suffer from bullying and cyberbullying. In these cases, we must confide in adults. However, 37% of victims did not manage to speak about their aggression.
Emotions
During the period of adolescence there are mood swings many people suffer from. In fact as we can see from the questionnaire almost 70% say they change moods. 25% of respondents felt they had an eating disorder.
Future Goals
The results show that young people set themselves goals to reach. In fact 80% of adolescents already have future goals which range from going to university, to working abroad, writing a book, studying fine arts, languages, or psychology, going on an exchange trip, working in the medical field or in the police.
Conclusions
Overall, teens have a healthy relationship with school, peers and family. Bullying is still a major issue. However, the most alarming data is the number of students who suffer from anxiety. Perhaps this is linked to the effects of lockdown. Students must learn to face difficulties without fear of failure. The educational system must provide support when necessary through psychologists, and the help of teachers. Finally, it is important to support friends, as there are those who do not even have one person to confide in.
Authors: Cristian G. and Emanuele M.