How Stressed Are Kids? More Than We Think

usatoday.com:

Worrying about school and about their family's finances are causing the most stress for kids, according to the American Psychological Association, which for the first time included young people ages 8 to 17 in its annual Stress in America survey, released Tuesday.

Read the whole story: usatoday.com

Comments

[PresidentRobertBooth]

Kids are stressed.

Anyone who thinks that they don't feel the pressure when they see their parents or guardians worrying about debt, eviction, long working hours, living expenses etc.....is delusional.

[jerrypl]

Today's childhood days are filled with too much stuff. Too many standardized tests, pre-tests, quizzes, marching orders instead of outside play time, too much structured time, too many after school planned activities, too many worries.

http://eye-on-washington.blogspot.com

[RockinDiva]

This was me about two years ago. I freaked out about SATs, APs, SOLs (VA), getting into a good college, getting a decent job after college,etc. My stress was so bad, I had migraines almost the entire month of May (all the tests were given). My parents never over-pressured me, it was just all the pressure I had put on myself and what I thought would happen if I didn't do well. I'm in college now and don't stress out nearly as much, except during mid-terms and finals.

[isjois]

When I grew up - in the suburbs - none of my friends worried about becoming homeless or having enough to eat.

My children and their friends see homeless people near the mall. They listen to relatives talk about foreclosures, bankruptcies and health insurance. Some have personally been to food pantries or the public aid office. A few are bused to school from local motels.

I grew up in a single parent household, but I never dealt with some of the "fears" that the kids face today. Back in the day - one breadwinner could pay all the bills. Today, most families need both parents working to pay for "basics". There is little "affordable" anything anymore. Housing - expensive. Health care - expensive. Quality/Sa­fe/Healthy food - expensive.

Perhaps the wealthy kids need to lay off the "technology" and spend more time with the folks, but for the rest of the families - there are real struggles.

[goddess1871]

I am a first-year adviser at a small college. I have had a few advisees who come in to their first session with me spewing what amounts to verbal diah.rrhea because their parents have them so wound up I can't get the information I need from them. Thus, a 30-minute intake session becomes a 50-minute battle of me trying to get them to calm down. (Example: Doesthiscl­assfulfill­my gened requirementsI wason 6 varsityspo­rtsinhighs­chooldoes thatfulfillmy physicaled­ucationreq­uirementsc­anIget outin 4yearswith 3majors and 3minorsIgota5on theAPexami­nmicroecon­omicsanda4­onmacro...­..etc.) Then, about 2 weeks into the semester when they've been away from their parents, they calm down and they're fine.

[whateverlolawants]

I'd believe it. My parents weren't bad about over-pressuring me, but between some subtle pressures there and much stronger ones from high school teachers and peers, and the newness of college, I was freaked about doing everything right in college. And I was a natural A-student... I shouldn't have worried so much. Some of my friends were much worse about the freaking out. College was good for us... the longer you're away from those pressures and becoming autonomous, the better. You grow up and learn not to catastrophize so much.

Anyway, yeah, kids these days are definitely stressed. Kids have had stresses since time immortal, so older folks feeling defensive should relax, people know that times have been tough for some families at any given time in history. The causes and types of stress will vary over the years, though, and the opportunities for healthy outlets also vary. I worry that many kids now don't have as many outlets as they used to- unstructured creative/athletic play is swallowed up by organized activities, homework, and couch-potato activites. Those things all have their place, but...

[MosheDayanHero]

"Dad, thanks to TV, I can't remember what happened eight minutes ago. No, really, it's a serious problem. Ha, ha, ha! What're we laughing about?"
Bart Simpson

[avocats]

Nonsense. Each generation has its challenges. We lived with "duck and cover" and the Cuban missile crisis and the assassinations of one adored President and two other political leaders. My parents struggled paycheck to paycheck and both worked. We did hours of homework a night, without computers. We felt enormous pressure to succeed. Give me a break.

[MosheDayanHero]

It is because they need to spend more time doing homework and participating in no more than one sport activity and no more than one artistic activity.
Less text message, less twitter, less multi-tasking, less Internet surfing.

[FemiMommy]

Honestly, I think what they need is just more time hanging with their undistracted parents.

[67bug]

I can't imagine being a kid today, seems like there is so much more pressure and competition than when I was growing up in the '60s and early '70s. I feel for them, I really do.