For many matriculants, the release of final exam results is charged with anxiety and the stress of change.
The release of matric results is a time of great excitement for many young people, but there is a more difficult – and often less spoken about – side to the experience, endured by those who do not get the marks they’d hoped for. Results can mean disappointment, anxiety and disruption.
The 2022 matric results became available for collection from exam centres across South Africa on Friday 20 January, after a delay attributed largely to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the school calendar.
A range of factors determine the effect this high-pressure time has on the mental health of pupils, including the desire to make parents proud, fear of the unknown and peer pressure, according to Deborah Olusola, clinical psychologist at The Couch, a psychology and psychiatry practice.
Fear of being seen as a failure
“Being disappointed in results may open avenues for thoughts around being a ‘failure’ . and fear of how people will perceive them when they find out that they didn’t get ‘good’ results,” explained Olusola.
“Exam-result disappointment can lead to social isolation, limited communication, changes in eating and sleeping ­patterns, feelings of worthlessness and suicidal thoughts, which can be signs of depression.”
The South African Depression and Anxiety Group gets helpline calls from matrics throughout the year, says ­operations director Cassey Chambers. “We receive calls from matrics. as there’s so much pressure and they often feel overwhelmed,” she said.
“When [people] do hear about matric suicides when the results come out we assume it’s because of the results, but actually it could be the last trigger at that specific point. There’s relationship issues, family problems, bullying, or whatever, and then [the results] could be the last trigger.”
Chambers said the two weeks after the release of results were a critical time, when matriculants had to deal with changes in their lives as well as the reaction of others to the marks.
“There’s still a lot of matrics who perhaps don’t reach out or don’t call us but are struggling in silence.”
Akho Nqana, a matriculant from Kraaifontein in Cape Town, said it was important for matrics to be mentally prepared for positive and negative outcomes.
“If you focus on the positive, all the stress and fear may somehow decrease. If your family supports you, is a hundred percent behind you, you will not think of the results so ...