How Extended Summer Breaks Impact Student Mental Health: A 2025 Perspective

Summer Vacation 2025: Summer Vacation, though an ecstatic gala moment for most, it is not the same for everybody. Mental health conditions could span from usual boredom to self-harm and drug abuse, especially among adolescents between 14-19 years of age. The start of the break excites most youngsters but the glee soon fades away in the face of boredom and academic pressure of goals and projects.

How Do Summer Breaks Affect Mental Health?

Studies suggest an 'anticipatory stress spike' in some students in the last two weeks of summer break, as students face the school year to come. 

Summer breaks can mean a lack of access to essential services such as mid-day meals for government school students, healthcare, and even a lack of adult supervision in some cases. This could lead to distress for students and parents.

Increased aggressive behaviors, thoughts or actions of self-harm, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance abuse in marginalized sections of society have often been observed during summer breaks. While summer breaks alone are not the cause, these arguably contribute to the issues, especially when there is a dearth of things to do during the break.

The Upside Of Summer Breaks - 

To the relief of parents, summer breaks do not just see a spike in mental health issues, it also brings peace to some. Reports suggest fewer visits to Mental Health Clinics in the months of May, June, and, July, with cases rising again in August.

Summer breaks bring respite from various stressors, including academic pressures, daily classroom grind, certain social pressures, etc. The absence of such factors during breaks, provides a necessary breather from hectic environments which potentially reduces stress and lifts the overall mood.

However, as mentioned, extended summer breaks can exacerbate existing issues like self-harm tendencies and aggressive behavior, usually stemming from a lack of peer interaction and anxiety. 
To help-out during such moments of desperation make sure to identify areas of improvement and provide essential mental health support.