Stress is a reality for many teens, and stress develops for many reasons. A study done in Baltimore in 2006 by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health concluded that five main areas of a teen's life cause the most stress. These areas include school, family, friends, relationships and community. The study explored overall stress that teens deal with on a regular basis and how the stress is managed as a whole. In dealing with stress, teens have options for support. However, if the support network is part of the stress, this may influence unhealthy coping habits, such as substance use, or lead to increased anxiety and depression.
School and Peers
Teens face many daily demands and challenges, from having to follow rules at home to fitting in with peers at school. Teens face stress at school due to lack of peer acceptance or problems with learning school subjects. Academic performance is often an area that suffers when a teen is overwhelmed with the pressures of school life. This may come in the form of skipping classes, dropped grades or reluctance of a teen to engage in normally enjoyed activities at school. In addition to school performance, teens also deal with the pressures of fitting in with peer groups. TeenHelp.com indicates that a teen's social group may have a strong influence on identity. This influence is not always bad. However, when a teen is facing stress, the negative peer influence may lead to delinquency or experimentation with drugs.
Romance
The pressures of dating and sex are a reality in the life of a teen in modern society. The Mayo Clinic indicates that educating your teen and keeping an open dialogue about these topics may ease stress for the teen facing decisions about dating and sex. Teenagers also deal with the stress of breakups, rejection and competition in the dating pool. This further contributes to emotional turmoil for a teen.
Family
Parents may unknowingly place stress on teens by being too passive in parenting or by placing too many unrealistic demands on teens. When a teen is faced with family stress, it may influence many other areas of the teen's life. Additionally, family stress may contribute to teen depression. The Mayo Clinic suggests recognizing when familial stress is a factor and providing parental support. Teens often do not ask for guidance directly, yet they do respond to support. When teens and parents are disconnected or tension is in the home, this further contributes to a teen's stress.
Community
Community stress comes in the form of drug availability in neighborhoods, mixed messages in media, and advertising. According to the article "Smoking Kills and That's the Truth" on the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) website, the advertising efforts to correct sensationalism of teen smoking have less of an impact on a teen's quitting smoking than assumed. The article goes on to explain the contradictory messages in these ads, which may actually be sponsored by tobacco companies that sell cigarettes. Community stress, such as mixed messages, often prevents a teen from understanding the difference between making good versus bad choices toward substance use.
References
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Confronting Teen Stress
- Teen Help: Teen Stress Statistics
- Mayo Clinic: Sex Education - Talking to Your Teen About Sex
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Exploring Stress and Coping Among African American Adolescents
- Mayo Clinic: Teen Depression - Prevention Begins With Parental Support
