Student sitting at a desk, frustrated, thinking of a test

Lesson 2: Identifying and responding to test anxiety

Identifying and responding to students in distress

Signs of distress can be different for different people. For example, when you’re stressed, do you over or under eat? Because signs of distress can be different for everyone, for people we know well a change or shift in their behaviour may indicate that something is going on for that person. Here are some possible signs of distress:


Physical symptoms

  • Lack of coordination
  • Frequent illness
  • Poor hygiene
  • Sleep issues (too much or too little)
  • Frequent fatigue
  • Physical complaints
  • Physical injuries
  • Rapid change of weight
  • Drastic changes in appearance

Emotional symptoms

  • Nervousness
  • Sadness
  • Difficulty controlling anger
  • Mood swings
  • Hopelessness

Behaviour

  • Change in daily routine
  • Withdrawing from others
  • Difficulty making decisions
  • Having a hard time concentrating and finishing tasks
  • Crying
  • Impulsivity
  • Frequent arguments or fights
  • Sudden outbursts
  • Extreme negativism
  • Hyperactivity
  • Inappropriate responses
  • Increasing non-involvement in things once enjoyed

Signs of distress in an online environment

  • Absences or missed appointments 

  • Non engagement/irritability/disruptive in group setting  

  • Non-responsive to communications (Email, D2L) 

  • Content of communications allude to mental health concerns, hopelessness 

  • Communications are accusatory, manipulative, sexually inappropriate, or threatening 

  • Submissions are odd/dark in tone

Responding to a student in distress

You may be the first person to notice that a student is in distress. Some faculty and instructors may feel uncertain about how to support a student experiencing test anxiety, especially if the student is in a heightened state of distress. It is okay to feel unsure about how to respond. You do not need to have all the answers and it is not your job to be a mental health professional. However, recognizing signs of distress and responding with care and concern is something all campus members can do.  

It’s important to be mindful of safety as a primary concern and to act within your skills, experience, and role. You may not be responsible for all the stages of the “responding” model. If you notice signs of distress, you may involve another staff person to assist with the response. Remember you can involve relevant campus resources, such as Student Wellness Services and Student Success Centre, as needed for consultation, referral, or additional support. You can contact Student Wellness Services by email: SWSMentalHealth@ucalgary.ca or by phone: (403) 210-9355. For urgent support, you can also contact the Student at Risk team: sar@ucalgary.ca.  

If you are concerned about a student, there are several steps you can follow to support the student. In your role, you may support students using all or some of these steps.  

Ask, support, refer, follow up

Be specific when asking students about behaviour you may have noticed. For example:

  • I’ve noticed that you haven’t been attending classes regularly, are you okay? 
  • I’ve noticed that you have made several requests for extensions, is everything okay? 

  • I’ve noticed (describe behaviour). Have you have been struggling recently? 

  • I am concerned about you and wanted to check-in.  

  1. Respond empathically to students who share with you. For example: 

    • Thank you for sharing this with me 
    • I am sorry that you are having a difficult time  

    • That sounds like a really challenging thing to be going through 

    • I want to make sure I understand… 

    • From what I’m hearing, you are feeling X. Is that right?

    Express your limits:

    • Here is what I can do...
    • I want to help...
    • Here is why I can't...
  2. Problem-solve together. For example:

    • What do you need right now? 

    • What supports do you have in your life currently? 

    • Which supports do you think would be the most helpful right now? 

    • Have you connected with Wellness Services about these concerns? 

    • How can I help? 

    This is where you might also share what you’ve learned about “anxiety as normal” and “anxiety as dangerous” mindsets. You may ask if the student would like to practice with you one of the behavioural strategies described in this module. If a student is in a more emotionally regulated state, you can remind the student: 

    • Some anxiety is just their body getting them ready to take on a challenge. 

    • The student has worked really hard to get to this place in their academic journey, which is evidence that they can do (whatever the task is). How has the student overcome a challenge in the past? 

    • Anxiety is kind of like a bully, trying to push the student around. How might we respond to a bully? 

    • Talk back to the bully to put it in it’s place (e.g., “I’ve got this, I don’t need you pushing me around;” “thanks, but no thanks;”) 

    • Seek help 

There are several resources on campus that can support students experiencing test anxiety, including: 

Student Wellness Services 
Email: SWSMentalHealth@ucalgary.ca 
Call: (403)210-9355 
Web: https://ucalgary.ca/wellness-services  

Student Success Centre 
Web: https://ucalgary.ca/student-services/student-success  

Student Accessibility Services 
Email: access@ucalgary.ca 
Call: (403)210-6019 
Web: https://www.ucalgary.ca/student-services/access  

  1. After hours support

    • For after-hours mental health support from the Distress Centre: 

      • Call 403-266-4357, available 24/7. 

      • Visit the Distress Centre website to access online chat from 3 - 10 p.m. on weekdays and noon - 10 p.m. on weekends. 
    • For additional crisis support from Wood’s Homes Community Support Team:  

      • Call 403-299-9699 or 1-800-563-6106, available 24/7. 
      • Text 587-315-5000 between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m.  
      • Visit Wood's Homes website for live chat between 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.  
    • Graduate students – Empower Me 

      • Call the 24/7 helpline at 1-844-741-6389 from anywhere in North America for immediate crisis support 
  2. Students in distress

    When in doubt about a student in distress, contact any of the listed campus resources to consult: 

    1. Identify student may be in distress
    2. Helping conversation

    If there is an indication of imminent harm to self or others:

    • Make a report to Campus Security and call emergency services (911) if an emergency response is required

    If there is no indication of imminent harm to self or others but urgent support is needed:

    • Make a report to Student Support Case Management Coordinator, Student-at-Risk Team, or Campus Security (after hours)

    If there is no indication of imminent harm to self or others and urgent support is not needed:

    • Make a referral to wellness supports and website

Students may decline your offer of support. This is okay. Consider how you can create a space for reconnection, such as: 

“If you change your mind and would like to access supports, you can always connect with the resources we have talked about.” 

Sometimes, students may choose not to reply to your communications, whether via email or otherwise.  

If there is an urgent concern about a student’s wellbeing, harm to self or others, please contact SAR: sar@ucalgary.ca. SAR is a confidential support system that involves assessment of the situation, outreach, consultation, and the provision/referral to supports as appropriate. SAR also provides incident debrief for members of the campus community. 

Click here to download your own Supporting Student’s in Distress Reference Guide.


Reflection questions:

  1. How do you respond to students expressing anxiety about exams? Consider your language, tone and affect. Based on what you’ve learned in this lesson, what is one thing you might change about how you respond to students experiencing test anxiety? Remember, you don’t have to be a trained mental health professional to be a source of support to students in distress. 
  2. What is one strategy you will apply in the classroom to help reduce students’ experience of anxiety before, during, or after an exam? When will you use this strategy? How will you introduce the strategy to your students? 

Lesson checklist

After this lesson, you will be able to: 

  • Identify signs and symptoms of test anxiety 

  • Determine when students are in heightened distress 

  • Apply five strategies to helping students cope with test anxiety in the classroom 

  • Understand the four steps of the “Responding” model for helping students experiencing test anxiety and/or in distress. 

References

Brady, S., Hard, B. M., & Gross, J. J. (2018). Reappraising test anxiety increases academic performance of first-year college students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(3), 395-406. https://www.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000219 

Gross, J. J. (2002). Emotion regulation: Affective, cognitive, and social consequences. Psychophysiology, 39(2002). 281-291. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0048577201393198  

John Lothes, I. I., Mochrie, K., Wilson, M., & Hakan, R. (2021). The effect of dbt-informed mindfulness skills (what and how skills) and mindfulness-based stress reduction practices on test anxiety in college students: A mixed design study. Current Psychology, 40, 2764-2777. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00207-y 

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full catastrophe living (Revised ed.): Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York, NY: Bantam. 

McGonigal, K. (2015). The upside of stress. New York, NY: Avery. 

Neff, K. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2, 85-101. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/15298860309032  

Wilson, R., & Lyons, L. (2013). Anxious kids anxious parents. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications.  

Zhang, Y., Luo, X., Che, X., & Duan, W. (2016). Protective effect of self-compassion to emotional response among students with chronic academic stress. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01802  

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Lesson 4: Design decisions for exams

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Lesson 5: Growth mindset