Chinese school adolescents’ stress experience and coping strategies: a qualitative study

Abstract

Background Stress in adolescence is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Coping resources have been proved by literature to have buffering effects on the impact of stress on mental health. It is imperative to understand the stress and coping strategies of adolescents. However, to date, there has been a scarce of qualitative examination of stress and coping strategies in adolescents in a Chinese population. Objectives This study aimed to understand the stress experience and coping strategies of high school students in China. Methods This study adopted a qualitative design involving three focus group interviews. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit high school students who were enrolled in grades 10 to 11, and their teachers, at a Chinese high school which resulted in 20 students and 9 teacher participants. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results A total of 4 themes were identified: (i) sources of stress; (ii) impacts of stress (iii) coping strategies used by students; and (iv) recommendations for stress management programs. Students experienced excessive stress in their daily lives. The primary source of stress came from high expectations for academic achievement. Other sources of stress were peer relationships and family issues. The stress had negative impacts on students’ emotions, sleep, study, and mental wellbeing. The students demonstrated various coping strategies, with the most common being avoidant coping. Students and teachers agreed that the coping strategies were not effective in reducing stress in the long run and that more coping skills training was needed. Conclusions This study is the first to assess the perceptions of Chinese high school students and their teachers regarding adolescent stress experiences and coping strategies. Chinese high school students experienced significant stress in their daily lives and demonstrated unhelpful coping strategies. Participants demonstrated consensus that they did not have the skills to cope. There is a demonstrated need for interventions that focus on increasing coping skills in this population.

Adolescent boys’ experiences of stress – a focus group study

“…Several boys stated that they engage in physical exercise to cope with stress. This is in line with earlier research (15,16) but also opposes the ndings of McKegney (2), who reported that adolescents tend to avoid such activities. The boys in this study might have viewed physical activity differently -going to the gym or for a run to "blow off steam" might be a great way of relieving stress, but participating in a soccer team with 20 other boys might not.…”

“…They expressed diverging views on whether it they felt better or worse to talk to someone when feeling stressed. Some boys denied feeling stressed altogether and others tried to internalize their emotions, which aligns with earlier research (5,15). Still others used distractions, which was identi ed as a coping strategy in past research (5).…”

“…4,10,12,14). Furthermore, different stressors can have a negative impact on the sleep and emotions of adolescents (13,15).…”

“…Although male and female adolescents appear to experience stress in a similar way (7), how they cope with these stressors might differ. In general, adolescents cope with stressors through internalising behaviours, engaging in leisure activities, and talking to friends (15), as well as through physical activities, religion, and spiritual rites (as shown in a Korean study; (16). However, boys in general cope with stress by distracting themselves, denying their emotions, or forced relaxation.…”

“…The consequences of experiencing stress and engaging in maladaptive coping for adolescent boys can be both short-and long-term. Certain stressors have shown to impact negatively adolescents' sleep patterns and emotions (13,15). Maladaptive coping might have positive effects in the short-term (41,42), but over the long-term have negative implications for men's social and work relationships, psychological well-being, and mental and physical health (17,18).…”