Course Hero Study Reveals 1 in 5 American Parents Seek Professional Help for Their Child's Academic Stress

Researchers reveal that the risk of "student burnout" is high and parents are concerned with their kids' mental health


REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 1, 2016) - Course Hero, an online learning platform that empowers millions of students and educators to succeed, has found that more than one out of every five parents have sought professional help for their child's stress, and nearly a fourth of all parents have considered it.

The survey, taken in August 2016, analyzed responses from 2,000 US parents of children 15-20 years of age on their academic expectations, stress related to classwork and exams, and children's mental health.

Data findings include:

  • 64% of parents attributed too many homework assignments as a cause of "too much pressure" on their child, while 58% of parents said balancing schoolwork was a cause (respondent could choose more than one factor)
  • 90% of parents said they've had reason to worry or fear that their child is struggling to cope with managing their academic workload
  • Over half (52%) of parents have allowed their child to have a day off from school to decompress from school
  • 80% of parents have looked for a way to help their child(ren) with their homework
  • Nearly 52%  of parents have sought additional academic help for their child, such as hiring a tutor or seeking online help  
  • 71% of parents in the Northeast said their kids are likely to talk about school stress or pressure with them, followed closely by Midwestern parents at 70% -- just 60% of parents in the Southwest said the same

The data also showed national and regional trends around parental perception of student stress, such as the key symptoms of too much stress, difference in academic expectations across generations, and much more.

"This study gives us an idea of how stressed students are given the immense expectations being placed on them today," said Andrew Grauer, CEO and co-founder of Course Hero. "Today's students have to balance classwork, homework, study groups, family life, extracurricular activities, sports, and even part-time jobs. Based on these research results, we need to ask ourselves: Are we asking too much of these kids given how much time they have for all these activities, and, more importantly, how can we help them outside the classroom?"

Additional data is available upon request.

About Course Hero | Master Your Classes
Course Hero is an online learning platform that empowers millions of students and educators to succeed. Fueled by a passionate community of students and educators who share their course-specific knowledge and educational resources, Course Hero offers the biggest and best library of study documents, expert tutors, customizable flashcards, and course advice and boasts a community of over 12.5M students and more than 85,000 educators. Download the Course Hero app for iPhone or Android today or follow Course Hero on LinkedIn.

Contact Information:

For more information, contact:
Ann Murray

Grayling PR
(415) 593-1400