Our Stressed Out Teens

For many years, people have worried that the overly-ambitious schedules, the high stakes tests, the fading prospects for quality jobs and the momentous influence of technology were all taking a toll on our teenagers. And according to a recent survey by the American Psychological Association claims that they are even more stressed than adults these days (Washington Post).

The study found, “Many American teens report experiencing stress at unhealthy levels, appear uncertain in their stress management techniques and experience symptoms of stress in numbers that mirror adults’ experiences. Meanwhile, teens report that stress is having an impact on their performance at home, work and school.” Their self-reported stress levels were higher than that reported by adults, with 83 percent of teens claiming schools was a somewhat or significant source of stress. Just under 60 percent claimed having to manage too many activities had the same effect. And maybe equally troubling, 20 percent report only exercising once a week and general fitness levels appear below what they should be at that peak age. Finally, girls are more stressed out and depressed than boys, which is not surprising given the new cultural and economic realities.

This might be good news to businesses looking for workaholics, but bad news to everyone else …