Competence in Coping with Stress in Adolescents from Three Regions of the World

Abstract

The ways adolescents develop and use strategies to cope with stress vary according to cultural scripts and values. This cross-sectional study tested the impact of region and gender on adolescents' stress perceptions and coping styles. A total sample of 10,941 adolescents (51.3% female) from 20 countries completed questionnaires on stress and coping behaviors in four domains (school, parents, peers, and romantic relationships). Standardized samples of n = 200 were drawn from each country, resulting in a sample of N = 4,000 adolescents (mean age 15.18, SD = 1.76, balanced gender distribution). Based on the results of discriminant analysis, the adolescents could be grouped into three world regions (Western, Eastern/Asian, and Southern). Results revealed that levels of perceived stressfulness of issues in different domains were universally similar among adolescents from all three regions. Parent- and school-related stress received the highest rankings, and peer- and romance-related stress the lowest. Differences emerged with respect to coping style, depending on region and gender. Coping styles characterized by negotiating, seeking support, and emotional outlet were used more often by adolescents from the Western region than those from the Eastern/Asian or Southern regions. Females in all regions had higher rates in the use of negotiating and seeking support than males did. Adolescents from all countries, despite regional variations, exhibited more emotional outlet in response to conflicts with parents than with peers or romantic partners. Overall, adolescents from all regions of the world demonstrated an impressive level of coping competencies, as only about one fifth of all coping responses involved the use of withdrawal and denial. The findings are discussed with respect to how the effects of globalization and changing societal expectations may have contributed to similar levels of perceived stressfulness and increased coping agency in adolescents in different parts of the world.

The Role of Perceived Stress and Self-Efficacy in Young People’s Life Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study

“…Connected to this, the realm of education has been described as a main source of stress for adolescents (Persike and Seiffge-Krenke 2012). While a few studies have analyzed several facets of early, middle, and late adolescents' life satisfaction (Oberle et al 2011b; Salmela-Aro and Tynkkynen 2010), the question of whether, and to what extent, life satisfaction is shaped by person-specific average (baseline) levels of, and within-person change across time in, school-related stress has not yet been addressed.…”

“…Hence, rather than stressful events per se, perceived stress in a given situation must be considered. Among adolescents, perceived stress seems to be most pronounced in the domain of schooling (Persike and Seiffge-Krenke 2012). Considering the paramount importance that education and educational credentials have for young people's job prospects and life chances, perceived stress in school may also be associated with young people's general life satisfaction.…”

“…Their life satisfaction is particularly worthy of attention because during their transition to adulthood young people face many developmental and adjustment challenges, including in the self, in the family, and at school (Hampel and Petermann 2006;Lerner and Galambos 1998) -most of which can influence their life satisfaction. In this study, we analyze whether, and to what extent, young people's life satisfaction is sensitive to perceived stress in education and general self-efficacy, because education constitutes one of the main sources of stress among young people (Persike and Seiffge-Krenke 2012), whereas self-efficacy has been considered a major resource facilitating adolescents' coping.…”

Immediate and Late Effects of Stress on Kidneys of Prepubertal and Adult Rats

“…Ever since stress was described by Selye as "a syndrome produced by diverse nocuous agents", this condition has been identified in almost all societies around the globe, and may be caused by physical or psychological conditions [1,2]. Stress induces an organic response with increased activity in all tissues and markedly increased release of glucocorticoids, which is an attempt to respond or adapt to a new organic condition [3].…”

Cross-Country Differences in Basal and Stress-Induced Cortisol Secretion in Older Adults

“…Most of these studies address cross-country comparisons in relation with training or working conditions, and very few deal with stress in non-working population. We found only one wide range study with a total sample of 10,941 adolescents, in which no difference was detected across 20 countries in perceived stressfulness, although differences were found in the strategies these youth used to cope with stress [29]. Despite the relevant contribution provided by such psychometric measures, the multi-domain construct of stress also involves the interaction among environment stressors and biological stress activity [30], namely diurnal cortisol profile and cortisol reactivity to an acute stressor.…”