Bio-Psychosocial Stressors in Adolescents
Adolescent Stressors Adolescents today face a myriad of stressors in their lives that can impact who they are and who they will become. Bio-psychosocial stressors appear to be more prevalent in minority adolescents who reside in lower socioeconomic households. Impoverished neighborhoods experience a great deal of financial difficulties, crime, and single parent homes. Adolescents growing up in these households often have lower grades in school and a lack of self confidence verses their counterparts. Below these stressors will be discussed in greater detail.
Economic Strain One of the more common stressors facing adolescents today is economics. Especially in these trying financial times many families are experiencing during the recession. The economic stress can impact parenting skills adversely by one or the other taking it out on their adolescent children. Parents may get frustrated easily and take it out on their children by cursing and/or yelling, or over reacting to minor problems. In turn the adolescent may respond by getting depressed, and engage in negative behavior patterns in the home and at school.” Findings from a number of studies have also posited the linkage of economic strain with a variety of socio emotional problems in childhood and adolescence, including depression, conduct and psychological disorders, and social mal adaptation.” (Taylor, R. D.1994) Research also indicates that adolescents that live in poor run down areas exhibit low levels of self esteem and high levels of anxiety.
Unrealistic Beauty Standards A major area of stress for adolescents is school. The popular girls are almost always thin, a mirror image of mainstream society. Adolescent girls are under more and more pressure to look a certain way to conform to unrealistic societal standards. Young girls can not escape the constant bombardment of print ads, television, and billboards depicting skeletal images of supposedly beautiful women. The unrealistic
Economic Strain One of the more common stressors facing adolescents today is economics. Especially in these trying financial times many families are experiencing during the recession. The economic stress can impact parenting skills adversely by one or the other taking it out on their adolescent children. Parents may get frustrated easily and take it out on their children by cursing and/or yelling, or over reacting to minor problems. In turn the adolescent may respond by getting depressed, and engage in negative behavior patterns in the home and at school.” Findings from a number of studies have also posited the linkage of economic strain with a variety of socio emotional problems in childhood and adolescence, including depression, conduct and psychological disorders, and social mal adaptation.” (Taylor, R. D.1994) Research also indicates that adolescents that live in poor run down areas exhibit low levels of self esteem and high levels of anxiety.
Unrealistic Beauty Standards A major area of stress for adolescents is school. The popular girls are almost always thin, a mirror image of mainstream society. Adolescent girls are under more and more pressure to look a certain way to conform to unrealistic societal standards. Young girls can not escape the constant bombardment of print ads, television, and billboards depicting skeletal images of supposedly beautiful women. The unrealistic
References: Taylor, R. D. (1994). Risk and resilience: Contextual influences on the development of Minority adolescents. In M.C. Wang and E.W. Gordon (Eds.), Educational resilience in inner-city America: Challenges and prospects (pp. 119-130). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/main/statistics.html http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20322801/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/t/academic-performance-top-cause-teen-stress/ http://www.stressmanagementstore.com/stress_management_for_children_&_adolescents