Differences in agency? How adolescents from 18 countries perceive and cope with their futures

Abstract

This study investigated how N ¼ 5,126 adolescents (mean age of 15 years) from 18 countries perceive and cope with future-and schoolrelated stress. The adolescents completed the Problem Questionnaire (PQ), which assesses stress, and the Coping Across Situations Questionnaire (CASQ), which assesses three coping styles (reflection/support-seeking, emotional outlet, and withdrawal/denial). Across countries, adolescents reported considerably higher levels of future-related stress than school-related stress. The adolescents actively coped with stressors in both domains and seldom relied on emotional outlet or withdrawal/denial. A clustering of the countries according to socioeconomic criteria and geographical proximity demonstrated that adolescents from the continental group of countries showed low stress and high coping. Adolescents in the east/Asia group showed medium stress and low coping and those in the south group showed high stress and low coping. Developmental context was more strongly associated with stress perception and coping, style than age or gender, a finding relevant for prevention approaches aiming to endorse positive orientation to the future and improve coping competence.

Differential determination of perceived stress in medical students and high-school graduates due to private and training-related stressors

“…Eppelmann and colleagues [ 54 ] demonstrated that stress could prompt behavioural and emotional difficulties and result in an association of stress and emotional and behavioural problems partly mediated by withdrawal from parents. Furthermore, parental pressure could influence medical students’ school performance and result in academic stress [ 55 , 56 ].…”

How Individual Coping, Mental Health, and Parental Behavior Are Related to Identity Development in Emerging Adults in Seven Countries

“…A sample item is "I found it difficult to discover what profession really suits me." The PQ has been used frequently across countries with good reliability (e.g., Seiffge-Krenke et al, 2012).…”

“…Senior and junior researchers from all seven countries translated the Perceived Parental Behavior Scale into the official language of each country and then back into English. As stated above, the YASR, PQ, and CASQ had already been translated and used in previous cross-cultural studies (Persike & Seiffge-Krenke, 2016;Seiffge-Krenke et al, 2012). Further, the AIDA (Goth, Foelsch, Schlüter-Müller, & Schmeck, 2016) and the DIDS (Morsünbül & Ç ok, 2014) have been used in several cross-cultural samples.…”

“…In the present study, we used 9 items pertaining to the domain of identity-related distress (e.g., a strong motivation to discover one’s needs, perceived difficulty in obtaining desired employment, and insecurity about career choice and family and work–life balance). A sample item is “I found it difficult to discover what profession really suits me.” The PQ has been used frequently across countries with good reliability (e.g., Seiffge-Krenke et al, 2012).…”

Reducing Stress and Enhancing Academic Buoyancy among Adolescents Using a Brief Web-based Program Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Adolescents also face the challenges of learning to live independently and building their own social network by exploring and building their identities and starting romantic relationships (Steinberg and Morris 2001). At the same time, many adolescents experience stress in relation to school (e.g., Salmela-Aro et al 2009; Seiffge-Krenke et al 2012). Ninth-grade adolescents, who formed the target group of this study and who are finalizing their compulsory education, also face new personal and academic challenges because, for example, they have to complete a great deal of school projects and have to clarify their interests to be able to choose their future educational path.…”