title: Stress symptoms among adolescents: the role of subjective psychosocial conditions, lifestyle, and self-esteem.
abstract: Stress-related problems are increasing among Swedish adolescents, especially among females. The aims of this study were to survey the incidence of stress symptoms among 16-year-olds, to investigate the related gender differences, and to understand the factors that may contribute to stress symptoms. The study is questionnaire based, and the sample included 304 first-year high school students from two comparable schools. More than 30% of the high school students reported serious stress symptoms. Almost every second girl and every fifth boy reported that they felt stressed to a high degree. 8.2% were found to have severe stress symptoms, which would be considered a sign of chronic stress in adults. Besides the perception of high demands, low levels of global self-esteem, sleep disturbances, and poor social support played a crucial role in the prediction of stress symptoms. The findings highlight the need to develop and implement adequate stress prevention measures for adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. karin.schraml@stress.su.se
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schraml
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perski
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.forename: Margareta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simonsson-Sarnecki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology