Adolescence can be a stressful time due to bodily changes, relationship challenges and demands from teachers and parents. Understanding teen stress requires putting yourself in the shoes of teenagers and imagining a time in your life when life was out of control.

Top Stressors for Teens

Teenage stress studies show several issues as the main cause of stress. The demands of school, issues with parents, challenges in romantic relationships and problems with their social standing and friends are the top concerns of teens studied.

Coping Mechanisms

Teens deal with stress in a variety of ways. Some teenagers, particularly boys, resort to avoidance of problems and use distraction strategies to deal with stress. Pretending that a problem doesn’t exist or getting their minds off of the problem is a common coping mechanism among male teens.

In female teens, seeking out support is a common coping mechanism. Talking to friends about the problem and finding ways to either eliminate the stress or decrease it are common ways that teenage girls often deal with stress.

Advice for Parents and Teachers

One way to help teenagers to cope with stress is to model healthy stress management techniques. An adult who pretends that he is not stressed may inadvertently teach this same coping mechanism to teenagers. Here are productive ways to address teen stress:

• Educate teens about the effects of stress on the body.

• Teach teens to write in a journal, meditate or talk about stressful events.

• Discuss stressful events with teens, encouraging them to identify the cause and seek solutions.

• Listen attentively to teens when they discuss their problems.

• Suggest that teens attend meetings with professional counselors.