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. 2026 Mar 11:13591045261430414.
doi: 10.1177/13591045261430414. Online ahead of print.

Development of a Self-Reported Measure of Academic Pressure Among Secondary-School Students: The Academic Pressure Questionnaire

Marie A E Mueller  1 , Chris Bonell  2 , Tamsin J Ford  3 , Carolina Gutiérrez Muñoz  4 , Ann John  5 , Glyn Lewis  1 , Rebecca Meiksin  2 , Simon Murphy  6   7 , George Ploubidis  8 , Ruth Ponsford  2 , Frances Rice  7   9 , Thomas Steare  8   10 , Alice Sullivan  8 , Neisha Sundaram  2 , Nerissa Tilouche  2 , Gemma Lewis  1
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Free article

Development of a Self-Reported Measure of Academic Pressure Among Secondary-School Students: The Academic Pressure Questionnaire

Marie A E Mueller et al. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. .
Free article

Abstract

PurposeThere is evidence that academic pressure has been rising among adolescents in the UK. While this may be a modifiable risk factor for mental health problems, there are few validated measures of academic pressure and all have limitations.MethodsWith secondary-school students, we co-produced a student-reported measure of academic pressure, the 7-item Academic Pressure Questionnaire (APQ). This was included in the baseline survey of students aged 12-13 within the Positive Choices trial, a whole-school intervention to promote sexual health in English secondary schools. We ran factor analyses and assessed internal consistency, associations with sex and depressive symptoms, and variation in academic pressure between schools.ResultsWe extracted one factor (Cronbach's alpha 0.76). Female students had higher APQ scores than males (mean difference = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.88 to 2.49). Higher APQ scores were associated with more depressive symptoms (coefficient = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.55) and associations were larger in female than male students (p value for interaction <0.001). School-level factors explained 2.6% of variation in APQ scores after adjusting for individual-level factors (ICC = 0.026, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.06).ConclusionThe APQ is a valid and reliable tool to investigate academic pressure in secondary-school adolescents.

Keywords: academic pressure; mental health; schools.

Plain language summary

Pressure to do well at school has been rising among teenagers in the UK, and may increase the risk of mental health problems. There are few questionnaires available to measure school pressure among secondary school students and none have been produced in consultation with young people in the UK. Together with young people from Wales (UK), we developed a questionnaire to measure school pressure among secondary-school students; the Academic Pressure Questionnaire (APQ). We included the APQ in the Positive Choices study of an intervention to promote sexual health among 12- to 13-year-olds from 50 schools in England. Our study found evidence that the APQ was reliable and valid. Female students experienced higher levels of school pressure than male students. Students with higher levels of school pressure also reported more symptoms of depression, and this association was stronger in female than male students. Levels of school pressure varied between schools, although by a relatively small amount. The APQ appears to be a useful new tool for measuring school pressure among secondary school students.

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