What Sparks Challenges for Primary School Children in Lebanon? A Cross-Sectional Exploration

The stressors that children face, stemming from academic pressures, the fear of failure, societal expectations, and heightened expectations from parents and teachers, can all contribute to stress and anxiety related to performance. This study seeks to evaluate the factors that trigger stress in primary school children and investigate their interconnectedness with the students' characteristics. A preliminary cross-sectional study was conducted over two months, targeting primary school children. Two pharmacists and a psychologist collected data through a standardized survey. Students were tasked with assessing their triggers across four domains: social (comprising 10 statements), behavioral (10 statements), environmental (10 statements), and academic (16 statements). Environmental triggers received the highest score (4.92 (1.92)), followed by behavioral triggers (4.21 (1.70)). Social triggers were the least frequently reported (3.52 (1.59)). After accounting for various factors, age, sex, and grade did not impact the academic triggers of the students (p>0.05), but having divorced or separated parents significantly increased these triggers (B=0.22; p=0.025). Social triggers and stressors significantly decreased with each grade increase (B=-0.28; p=0.003), whereas having divorced parents significantly increased these scores (B=0.21; p=0.025). Environmental triggers significantly reduced with each year of age increase (B=-0.23; p=0.013), exhibiting the same trend for overall trigger scores (B=-0.28; p=0.003). Effective strategies to alleviate school-related stress among those at high risk include promoting open communication, fostering an inclusive environment, establishing realistic academic goals, and maintaining regular contact with students.