As A level and Intermediate examination season approaches, thousands of post-secondary students across Malta begin to experience rising levels of stress, anxiety and emotional exhaustion. While much of the national conversation tends to focus on exam preparation and academic performance, we often overlook the critical role parents play in shaping students’ mental well-being during this intense period.
The reality is that the expectations and emotional climate created at home can either be a source of stability and support or a contributor to pressure and distress. Although parents naturally want the best for their children, the way in which that desire is communicated can significantly influence a student’s emotional state and motivation to learn.
Examinations at this level are perceived as life-defining. They determine access to tertiary education, scholarships and career pathways. In such a high-stakes environment, it is easy to understand why families feel compelled to push for results. However, when students begin to equate their self-worth with grades or feel that they are carrying their parents’ ambitions instead of their own, the emotional consequences can be severe.
In my doctoral research on post-secondary student well-being in Malta, participants repeatedly described how parental pressure, even when unintentional, led to overwhelming feelings of anxiety, self-doubt and isolation.
Some students reported feeling that their home environment was “another place to be judged” rather than a safe space.
One 17-year-old student shared: “My parents mean well, but sometimes it’s too much. I feel like I’m carrying their hopes, not mine.”
Another said: “It’s not about failing the exam, it’s about failing them.”
This internalisation of pressure is reinforced by external factors. A 2022 report by the Richmond Foundation Malta found that over 70% of local youths experience feelings of anxiety, sadness or depression. While such statistics cannot be solely attributed to parental influence, students themselves often cite family expectations as a key source of emotional strain during examination periods.
Data from the National Statistics Office (2024) also shows that 74.5% of adolescents aged 16 to 17 in Malta report low life satisfaction. This is a concerning figure during such formative years.
From a psychological standpoint, Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping provides a useful framework. This theory explains that when individuals perceive a situation as exceeding their ability to cope ‒ such as when they feel immense pressure to perform academically ‒ their stress levels increase. However, when they feel supported, validated and guided rather than judged, they are more likely to interpret challenges as opportunities for growth rather than threats to their worth.
This is not to say that parents should avoid setting expectations. On the contrary, parental involvement, when expressed through empathy, encouragement and unconditional support, is one of the strongest protective factors for student well-being.
“Remind your children that their value is not measured by their exam results”
The problem arises when expectations are rigid, unrealistic or communicated through comparison, criticism or fear of failure.
So, what can parents do differently?
• Firstly, it is crucial to shift the conversation from grades to growth. Celebrate effort, not only outcomes. Ask your children how they feel and what support they need, rather than assuming you know. Avoid language that compares them to siblings, cousins or classmates. Each student’s journey is unique. Normalise struggle as a part of learning rather than a sign of weakness. And perhaps most importantly, remind your children that their value is not measured by their exam results.
• At this stage in life, students need adults who believe in their potential without tying that belief to perfect performance. They need to feel that home is a safe place to land when things go wrong, not just when things go right.
• Exams are stressful, but they are temporary. The emotional habits and beliefs about self-worth that develop during this period, however, can last a lifetime. Parents, therefore, have a vital role to play not only in academic success, but in the long-term well-being of their children.
By choosing to be supporters rather than pressure-makers, we build not only better students, but stronger, more resilient young adults who can navigate life with confidence, perspective and a healthy sense of self.
Josephine Ebejer Grech is a qualified biology teacher and a doctoral candidate. Her research focuses on student well-being and academic resilience at the post-secondary level. She has authored academic papers on quality assurance in Maltese post-secondary schools, student well-being and the psychological impact of examination failure. She has also presented her work at international universities, including Cambridge and Oxford. This year, she recently received the Outstanding Educator Award by an international body specialising in quality assurance in pre-tertiary and higher education.
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