9781422273838

TEEN STRESS SURVEY Subjects of Stress among Teens

School shootings. .............................................. 75% Climate change. ................................................ 58% Separations/deportations of immigrant families......................................... 57% Sexual assault/harassment in news..................... 53% Housing insecurity............................................. 31% Debt................................................................. 33% Getting enough to eat. ....................................... 28% Sexual orientation or gender identity.................. 21%

Source: American Psychological Association, “Stress in America: Generation Z,” October 2018.

Personal situations, such as school and friends, are key causes of stress for teens. Getting into a “good” college and finding a way to pay for it are also top worries. It’s also common for teens to worry a lot about how they are perceived by their friends. But sometimes people are too quick to dismiss young people’s anxiety as “typical teenager stuff.” When the APA asked young people what specifically caused their anxiety, a lot of the topics mentioned were pretty serious. Among the teens surveyed, top anxiety-producers included school shootings, climate change, and deportations of immigrant families. Nearly a third of teens surveyed were stressed about

Teen Guides to Health & Wellness: Anxiety, Depression, and Mood Disorders

12