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Aaron Groff

Lisa Tyler

ENG.1201.518

13 March 2021

Literature Review of Teen Stress

Teen stress has been increasingly prevalent in the past decade, even “rivaling that of

adults” (Smith). Teens struggle to identify the causes, the long-term effects, and the coping

strategies of stress. So, answers to the following question could significantly help teenagers.

What are the most common stress inducers in teens, what long-term effects does stress have on

teens, and how can teens cope with stress? The question explores all aspects of teen stress and

answers to it could help teens around the world.

In pre-civilized times, stress was essential to human survival. The fight or flight reactions

caused by stress would save people in the case of being chase by wooly mammoths or defending

ourselves against enemy tribes. The problem is that these instincts are also present with the

announcement of a pop quiz or the looming S.A.T. (Krakower). Nowadays, human instinctual

reactions to stress aren’t as beneficial as they were in primitive times. In fact, they can be

detrimental to their mental health.

One stress inducer that every article identifies is academics. An article by Margaret

Shapiro intends to alert adults that teens have large amounts of school-related stress that needs to

be taken seriously. The article gives academic stress as an example of why teen stress should be

taken seriously. According to the American Psychological Association’s study, 83 percent of

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teens said school causes them some stress, while seven percent suffer from extreme stress due to

school (Shapiro). A similar article by Kathleen Smith serves instead to help parents already

aware of teen stress identify it in their teens. It uses the causes of stress to elaborate on specific

things to look for if parents are worried about their teens’ stress levels. The most common source

of stress is school, from grades to test scores to applying to college. Poor time management skills

and an overwhelming amount of work play into academic stress as well (Smith). Yet another

similar article by Marcelina Hardy caters to the teenage audience, expressing concern for them

and even offering hope at the end of the article. It uses the causes of teen stress to help teens

identify what they are truly struggling with in their lives. Teens get stressed when teachers and

parents expect too much of them. They often feel defeated when getting a bad grade, knowing

that they have disappointed the ones that they love (Hardy). These articles each have their own

purpose, but school is listed as a factor for stress in all of them.

The articles by Smith and Hardy also have other causes of teen stress in common. Both

identify family and social interactions as sources of teen stress. Marital problems, bad

relationships with siblings, and financial problems can all trigger teen stress (Smith). Peer

pressures of being involved intimately with a significant other can build up stress. Also, getting

in—as well as staying in—the “in” crowd cause lots of stress for teenagers (Hardy).

However, there are some causes that one article identifies that the other doesn’t. For

example, Hardy’s article identifies drugs as a stress inducer in teens. Drugs only make the

developmental stage more difficult to get through healthfully (Hardy). Smith also references

some causes that aren’t present in Hardy’s article. World events, traumatic events, and

significant life changes were also mentioned as stress inducers in teens (Smith). Since these

stress inducers are not found in both articles, they are probably less common but more severe.
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Stress caused by the factors listed above can have significant consequences in life.

Veereshkumar Nandagaon and Sudha Raddi conducted a study in which they surveyed 1204

Indian teens to see how many struggled with a variety of different types of academic stress,

depression, and suicidal ideation. This study was intended to prove that academic stress is in

direct correlation with depression and suicide. This would help convince the scientific

community that change in the education system was necessary in order to protect teens.

Nandagaon and Raddi found that 286 struggled with a low level of academic stress, 645

struggled with an average level, and 273 struggled with a high level, which is 23.75%, 53.57%,

and 22.67% of teens respectively (14: 4465). Nandagaon and Raddi also found that academic

stress and depression, as well as depression and suicidal ideation, have a strong positive

correlation with each other and are nearly completely dependent on each other (14: 4666).

So, with the consequences of stress being as severe as they are, there must be a way to

cope with stress. Karen Krakower explores this in her publication in the HealthLeader Online

Magazine. This was written to bring awareness to teen stress and give suggestions for coping

with stress to struggling teens. Moving and breathing, however simple they sound, are great

ways to reduce stress. Working out, dancing, skating, walking, and biking can help take their

mind off of stress. Steadying your breathing, as if to mimic someone sleeping, is also a good way

to calm down (Krakower). Always being productive and taking large tasks piece by piece is also

a great way to cope. Productivity will take their mind off of the stress in the moment and cause

less stress over an impossible amount of work later on. Dividing up large tasks will make them

focus on a smaller and less daunting individual piece rather than the entire project (Krakower).

Lastly, if someone can’t cope with their stress alone, Krakower strongly recommends seeking
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help. Adolescents who are struggling badly can seek help from counselors, teachers, or parents

(Krakower).

After the reading of these sources, there are some possible answers to the research

question. There may be more research necessary on the consequences and coping strategies of

teen stress as there is only one source that focuses on each, but each does provide a surplus of

very reliable information. Some common stress inducers in teenagers include academic, family,

and social stress. Also, drugs, world events, traumatic events, and significant life changes can

cause a smaller population of teens massive stress. Teen stress has a strong correlation with the

consequences of depression and suicidal thoughts. Lastly, ways to cope with accumulating stress

include exercise, breathing, being productive, dividing up tasks, and seeking help from trusted

adults.
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Works Cited

Hardy, Marcelina. “Causes of Teenage Stress.” Love to Know,

https://stress.lovetoknow.com/Causes_of_Teenage_Stress. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

Krakower, Karen. “Teen Stress 101.” HealthLeader Online Magazine, pp. 1–4, Nov. 2008,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=c9h&AN=35418443&site=eds-live. Accessed 6 Mar. 2021.

Nandagaon, Veereshkumar S., and Sudha A. Raddi. “Depression and Suicidal Ideation as a

Consequence of Academic Stress among Adolescent Students.” Indian Journal of Forensic

Medicine & Toxicology, vol. 14, no. 4, Oct. 2020, pp. 4464–4468,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=i3h&AN=148409858&site=eds-live. Accessed 6 Mar. 2021.

Shapiro, Margaret. “Stressed-out Teens, With School a Main Cause.” Washington Post, 17 Feb.

2014, www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/stressed-out-teens-with-school-a-

main-cause/2014/02/14/d3b8ab56-9425-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html.

Smith, Kathleen. “6 Common Triggers of Teen Stress.” Psycom, 24 Nov. 2020,

https://www.psycom.net/common-triggers-teen-stress/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.