Stressed Out Schools: Correlations Between Stress Coping Strategies and Communities Among Youth in Seattle and Surrounding Regions

Abstract

Researchers have observed differences in stress levels, and coping abilities and mechanisms based on the community being studied. This paper reports on the impact of extracurricular activities and student communities on stress and coping for youth in the Seattle area. Various self-reports, distributed through school health teachers, were used to gain information on students' stress levels, coping mechanisms, and coping ability. Results indicate that general categorizations of communities and activities (music, sports, etc.) did not demonstrate a significant correlation with students' stress or coping levels. Correlations between stress and coping were found, as were correlations between stress and coping and the number of communities/activities that students were involved in. Results provide insight into how students' activity loads impact their stress and coping levels more than the specific activities they are involved in and open the door to further research in the field.