What Causes Teen Stress?

A healthy, safe, and loving family is essential for the development of any child. However, family relationships can bring additional stress to students. Parents going through their own emotional or mental health problems can disrupt a teen's life. Teenagers may feel responsible for their parent's actions, or become the victim of physical or emotional abuse. Parent relationships can also affect teens. Divorce can be upsetting to teens, who may feel abandoned or forced to choose sides between parents.

Divorce adds stress to teens

Poverty can also be taxing on teens. Families with a low income often put more burdens on teens to make money to support the household. Teenagers might be required to work after school, thereby putting studies aside to help support their family.

Many teens come from immigrant families and their parents might not speak English. In this case, teens often act as a translator for important medical appointments, government paperwork (like visa applications), and issues with housing. This consumes a teenager's time and can cause additional stress.

Relationships are hard at any age. Understanding what you want and being able to communicate that to other people while respecting their needs is difficult. Teen brains are still developing, particularly in the frontal lobe, which controls executive functions and emotions. Teenagers are still figuring out who they are, and that involves a lot of trial and error.

Romantic relationships can be hard too. There is enormous pressure on teens to become sexually active, and most teens lack a basic understanding of reproductive anatomy. Teenage girls may feel pressured to have sex to be considered a valuable part of a relationship, and boys feel pressured to want sex early on. Without proper sex education, this can lead to sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy, both of which add to the mounting stress on teens.

Romantic relationships can add stress to teen life

Many children in America live in unsafe neighborhoods, particularly immigrants and families with low household incomes. Violence on the streets is traumatizing to teens. Victims are often loved ones or classmates. Witnessing a violent crime can perpetuate mental health issues, like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that occurs when people are witness to violent events they cannot control.

In a chaotic, unsafe environment, many teens feel that the only way to protect themselves is to become involved in the violence, buying a weapon or joining a gang for protection. Although this type of life isn't often portrayed in American media, it's a reality for many teens growing up in the city.

Teens playing basketball in Chicago housing projects, which are home to high rates of violence and poverty

A stressful environment isn't just limited to the city. Rural areas tend to have extremely high levels of poverty and drug use as well, despite having less gang activity. In small towns where industry has left, many people survive on welfare and social security. Drugs are a way to earn money and teens are especially vulnerable to the lure of drug use, particularly in rural towns with few other options.

Teenagers today experience more stress than ever before. As the cost of college rises, obtaining a scholarship is becoming more competitive. School hours have increased, as has homework time outside of school. Teens often have responsibilities outside of school, like caring for siblings, contributing to household income, and caring for parents. Beyond that, the mental health of parents can also affect teens. Outside of the home and school, teen relationships can be tricky to navigate. Romantic relationships can add complications to teen life through situations involving STDs and teen pregnancy. Although we typically think of teenagers as being cared for at school and at home, many teens in impoverished areas are witness to violence, which can have long-lasting effects.