SOURCES OF STRESS IN ADOLESCENTS

School

• Teens report school as their number one stressor. Teens said that school performance is their top stressor in an Associated Press/MTV poll taken in 2007. While academic achievement is highly valued by teachers and parents — and a fast way to earn their approval — it is not always easy. Youth who struggle academically or who have learning impairments face an even harder time.
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Family Breakdown

• Parents with drug and alcohol, domestic violence or other relational problems create a hotbed of stress for teenagers. Some kind of family dysfunction is listed as a major source of stress in a review of the psychiatric literature published in “Pediatric Nursing” in 2008. Juggling matters of mental health and home instability promotes depression and lifelong anxiety in teens.
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Body Image

• What a teenager thinks about how peers regard his appearance affects stress levels and can result in long bathroom camp-outs. Adolescents stated they worried about their looks in an OTX Teen Topix study. Out of 750 teens polled, 60 percent indicated that appearance was “very important” regarding how they felt about themselves.
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Finances

• Teens view money — or how to get it — as a major stressor. Teenagers shop for clothes, food and in some cases baby items like diapers. Money ranked second only to school as a source of anxiety among teenagers questioned in a 2008 study published in the journal “Pediatric Nursing.”
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Criticism

• Some parents see their children as miniature adults. Thomas Phelan, author of the book “1-2-3 Magic,” coined the phrase “mini-adult syndrome.” This attitude results in disapproval and negative comments by parents. While criticism is most damaging when children are young, it still strains teenagers over time.
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Popularity

• Regardless of their actual popularity, when teenagers perceive themselves as fitting in and having social standing they do better in the long run. Teens who saw themselves as unpopular were more hostile and withdrawn than others, according to a 2008 study published in “Child Development.”
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Romantic Relationships

• Teens take breakups very hard. Despite the predictable pattern of teen dating, adolescents believe wholeheartedly in the love they feel for a romantic partner. In a Baltimore study outlined in the pamphlet “Confronting Teen Stress,” 64 percent of teenagers questioned identified romantic relationships as one of the most commonly experienced sources of stress.
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Cyber bullying

• Cyber bullying is a modern stressor parents never faced when they were teens. More and more teenagers use cell phones, social networking websites and chat rooms. Typing hurtful comments, spreading rumors and posting humiliating pictures are only a few of the types of harassment young people face. A 2007 survey published on the Cyber bullying Research Center website found that middle-school students who are cyber bullied are more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
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Siblings

• Birth order affects teen stress levels. Living in a sibling’s shadow, feeling invisible, fighting over possessions and privileges, coping with annoying personality traits and having to babysit are all genuine stressors attached to siblings. Firstborns have the highest level of anxiety, while those born later tend to be self-conscious, reports researcher Frank J. Sulloway in a chapter of the book “Conceptual Challenges in Evolutionary Psychology.”
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The Body’s Stress Response

When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.

Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus—preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms	Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying	Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms	Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds	Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)