Stressing out? An exploration of stress in students in years 7 through 13.

Abstract

Recent research by those working with young people has noted rising levels of stress and anxiety in children and adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the levels and sources of stress reported by students at an urban, multi-ethnic secondary school in New Zealand. Six hundred and ninety-seven students completed the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ; Byrne, Davenport, and Mazanov, 2007). Students in this study were as stressed or more stressed than those in comparable studies in other countries, with girls significantly more stressed than boys. Analysis of subscale scores revealed the main sources of stress to be "school performance," "school/leisure conflict," and "future uncertainty." With regard to ethnicity, Asian students' scores were significantly lower than those of any other ethnic grouping. Results have implications for policy and practice in a variety of contexts, but especially in the school setting where reducing stressors and increasing support to stressed students is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)