Pressure to perform, concerns about difficult school work, and bullying fears are among the factors most often cited by students as cause for their anxiety about heading back to school.

Many are also stressed about having the hottest tech gadgets and keeping up with the latest fashion trends.

Other stress factors include dealing with “bullshit”, “nasty words”, and rumours, according to the results of a new survey carried out by the youth advocacy organisation Friends, which works to combat bullying in Swedish schools.

Disruptive classrooms also contribute to Swedish youngsters’ angst ahead of the start of autumn school term.

“The study makes for frightening reading,” said Katarina Rosenqvist, head of operations at Friends, in a statement.

The survey shows that only 43 percent of students think that schools do enough to stop bullying and that 11 percent are scared of becoming victims of bullying.

“An alarmingly high percentage,” said Rosenqvist.

She thinks that a “coordinated effort to prevent and put a stop to bullying” is needed.

“Student participation is known to be an important factor for success in order to stop bullying and Friends strongly believes that children’s and young people’s capacity to dare to stand for that is right,” she said.

The results of the survey are based on responses gathered by the Cint polling firm from 1,025 students ages 14-17 during the summer.