Stress, stressors and coping among high school students

A sample of 333 tenth and eleventh grade students in the Los Angeles area w ere surveyed to determine the degree of stress experienced, the stressors e ncountered most frequently, and the frequency with which specific coping st rategies were employed along with their perceived effectiveness. The respon dents scored above the norms for their age on the State Trait Anxiety Inven tory, and up to one third of the sample reported high levels of daily stres s. The stressors highest in frequency reflected concerns about one's future goals followed by several school-related items. No gender differences were found in degree of stress or most frequent stressors. White students repor ted experiencing personal and school-related stressors more often than Afri can American or Latino students. Latino students experienced family stresso rs more often than their cohorts in other ethnic groups. The frequency with which coping strategies were employed was low, with no ethnic differences and females employing adaptive coping strategies more often than males. Gen der and ethnic differences were found with respect to specific adaptive cop ing strategies. Comparisons with regard to stressors and coping strategies were also made between students reporting high levels of stress and those r eporting moderate to low levels of stress.