Why second year university students experience higher anxiety, and what educators can do about it

Second year university students consistently report higher levels of anxiety than any other year group, and the research is strikingly consistent across countries. Macaskill (2012) found that UK students experience the largest increase in psychiatric symptoms during their second year, while Australian and Canadian studies report similar patterns (Stallman, 2008; Parker et al., 2006). This rise in anxiety matters because it directly affects concentration, working memory, and engagement, all at a time when academic expectations intensify. Understanding why this happens, and how pedagogy can help, is essential for building inclusive, supportive learning environments.

Why the Second Year Is a Pressure Point

The second year represents a perfect storm of academic, emotional, and structural pressures. Students face heavier workloads, more independent learning, and reduced contact with tutors. The novelty of university life has worn off, and financial pressures often increase. Globally, mental‑health problems are most likely to emerge before age 24 (Kessler et al., 2007), making this transition particularly vulnerable.

For psychology students, the shift from descriptive learning to empirical, research driven thinking can amplify this anxiety. Many students report feeling “stuck” when grappling with complex concepts such as hypothesis testing, variables, and research design. This aligns with the idea of liminality, described by Meyer and Land (2003), where learners occupy a transitional space between old and new knowledge. For example, students often copy a hypothesis without understanding the logic behind it, a classic sign of being caught in this liminal state.

The Pedagogical Impact of Anxiety

Anxiety is often framed as an individual issue, but it has clear implications in learning. It impairs working memory, increases cognitive load, and reduces the ability to engage with challenging material. This is especially problematic in the second year, when expectations rise sharply.

Belonging also plays a crucial role. Students who feel connected to their peers and discipline experience lower anxiety and higher engagement (Thomas, 2012). Yet many second year students, particularly first generation, international, or additional language speakers, report feeling less supported and less confident.

What the Evidence Says About Effective Interventions

A range of international studies point to practical strategies that reduce anxiety and improve learning outcomes:

1. Scaffolded Assessment and Clear Structure

Clear assessment criteria, staggered deadlines, and formative feedback reduce anxiety and improve performance. Harvey et al. (2017) show that scaffolded assessment helps students manage cognitive load and build confidence gradually.

2. Emotional Intelligence and Self‑Regulation

Emotional intelligence (EI) in teaching helps build trust, reduce conflict, and create psychologically safe classrooms. Parker et al. (2006) found that EI predicts lower stress and better academic adaptation. Todmal et al. (2023) similarly argue that emotionally intelligent teaching supports motivation and classroom wellbeing.

3. Peer Support and Belonging

Peer mentoring, transition workshops, and collaborative learning environments strengthen belonging, a key protective factor against anxiety. American and Canadian universities have seen strong outcomes from structured peer support programmes.

4. Wellbeing Practices Embedded in the Curriculum

Brief grounding exercises, mindfulness, and CBT informed techniques can help students manage anxiety. School based CBT interventions have shown positive outcomes (Baskin et al., 2010), though they require motivation and may not be discipline specific.

How Pedagogic Theory Helps Us Understand Anxiety

Threshold Concepts & Liminality

Threshold concepts explain why students feel “stuck” when encountering complex disciplinary knowledge. For example students often struggled with identifying independent and dependent variables, a bottleneck that triggered anxiety and mimicry. Liminality helps explain why the second year feels harder and why structured support is essential.

Decoding the Disciplines

Decoding offers a practical framework for identifying bottlenecks and making expert thinking visible. For example using a narrative to walk students through how you interpret a hypothesis or choose a statistical test, "first I look at... then I look at…" demystifies the research process and reduces cognitive load.

Disrupting the Disciplines

This approach pushes educators to question whose knowledge is centred and how disciplinary norms may exclude diverse learners. It strengthens inclusivity by acknowledging cultural, linguistic, and structural barriers that shape student anxiety (Weasel Head et al., 2025). For example, providing a research scenario that is culturally specific to the students community.

Recommendations for Second Year Psychology Teaching

Drawing on the literature and your observations, the following strategies can meaningfully reduce anxiety:

• use emotionally intelligent communication, e.g., “I know this can feel confusing at this stage”;
• embed wellbeing check ins at the start or end of class;
• interview colleagues (with ethics approval) to identify common bottlenecks;
• make expert thinking visible by storytelling, e.g. how you interpret hypotheses, choose designs, and evaluate methods;
• strengthen belonging through peer mentoring and collaborative learning.

Conclusion

Second year anxiety is not a personal failing, it is a predictable response to rising cognitive load, reduced support, and shifting expectations. By combining threshold concepts, decoding the disciplines, and inclusive pedagogies, educators can create learning environments that reduce anxiety, strengthen belonging, and support academic success. When wellbeing is embedded into teaching, students not only cope better, but they thrive.

Reference List

Harvey, L., et al. (2017). Scaffolded assessment and student learning. [Full publication details depend on the specific version you are using.]

Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2007). Age of onset of mental disorders: A review. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 20(4), 359–364.

Macaskill, A. (2012). The mental health of university students in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40(4), 405–417.

Meyer, J., & Land, R. (2003). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: Linkages to ways of thinking and practising within the disciplines. Occasional Report 4, University of Edinburgh.

Parker, J. D., Saklofske, D. H., Wood, L. M., Eastabrook, J. M., & Taylor, R. N. (2006). Stability and change in emotional intelligence: Exploring the transition to young adulthood. Journal of Individual Differences, 26(2), 100–106.

Stallman, H. M. (2008). Prevalence of psychological distress in university students. Australian Family Physician, 37(8), 673–677.

Thomas, L. (2012). Building student engagement and belonging in higher education at a time of change. Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Todmal, A. D., Rao, G. S., & Gagare, K. (2023). The role of emotional intelligence in effective teaching and classroom management. European Chemical Bulletin, 12(1), 4859–4872.

Weasel Head, B., Yeo, M., & Easton, L. (2025). Imaginative possibilities in the ethical space. In J. Middendorf & M. Yeo (Eds.), Disrupting the Disciplines.

Author

Research Fellow in Occupational Psychology, Lori Takis.