Helsinki, March 2 (IANS) Lack of challenges and boredom after three or four years of study turns enthusiastic schoolboys into hardened cynics as they reach higher classes.
“The school does not offer boys suitable challenges and so they become bored and begin to turn away from the upper (higher) secondary school,” said Katariina Salmela-Aro, professor at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, who led the study.
“Boys experience a strong crisis concerning a sense of disconnectedness,” said Katariina Salmela-Aro, the Journal of Adolescence reports.
Girls, on the other hand, experience a feeling of inadequacy in upper (higher) secondary school, which may lead to depression later in life. “The pivotal factor causing stress in the lives of youth is school,” said Salmela-Aro, according to a Helsinki statement.
“All stress is not, however, detrimental for youth; rather, it teaches them that challenges are a part of life. Effective stress management and preparedness towards setbacks build up essential experiences of success for young people,” said Salmela-Aro.
Problems arise when the stress experienced by boys turns into cynicism and, in girls, a sense of inadequacy. Highly functioning social networks and a supportive developmental environment further advance positive growth in children and adolescents and reduce the risk of vulnerability, said Salmela-Aro.
