Every person's life has had stressful moments from time to time. Some people cope better with stress; For some, stress is a nightmare. In this article, we will talk about the concept of stress in the context of children and adolescents. In the field of developmental psychopathology, stressors play an important role. Environmental stressors play a role in the emergence and persistence of internalizing (anxiety, depression, etc.) and externalizing (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, etc.) problems in child and adolescent psychopathologies. Stressors can interact with genetic predisposition, leading to psychological problems in children and adolescents. Children's and adolescents' ability to regulate their emotions about stressors is a protective factor for the development of psychopathology. Children can experience stress from many sources. Stress varies from child to child, according to the child's developmental level and the child's previous life experiences. Adaptation to and overcoming stressors largely depends on the child's developmental capacity and coping skills. The younger the child, the greater the impact of new events. The younger they get, the more likely they are to experience stronger and potentially negative stress. Some stressors are a normal part of a child's daily life and can have positive effects. For example, a child participating in a swimming race may see this as a stress factor and work harder, and this may keep the child's motivation alive. On the other hand, excessive stress can have negative effects on children's ability to adapt to new situations. Children who grow up in poverty, live in violent environments or are bullied in school environments are exposed to more external stress compared to other children.
How Do Children Experience and Adapt to Stress?
Chronic stressors (loss of a loved one, living away from family, etc.) can have detrimental effects on children by changing the chemistry and function of the brain, reducing resistance to diseases. According to researches, children's reaction to stress is more intense than adult reactions, it covers the whole body. stress b Sometimes it manifests as an overt physical response, such as crying, outbursts of anger, hitting, masturbating, or peeing. These behaviors are actually the child's way of coping with the stressful event and managing these events in his own way. For example, a child who experiences intense feelings of abandonment while his mother goes to work may show a crying reaction in response to this stressor. As children's age increases, the level of cognitive problem solving will increase, so we expect physical reactions to decrease relatively. In a review study, it was revealed that “gender” has a facilitating effect on the relationship between stress and mental health problems. When faced with any stressor, externalizing problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and behavioral problems are more common in males, while internalizing problems such as anxiety, social phobia and depression are seen in females. At the same time, the nature of the stressor encountered varies according to gender. Men experience more intense stress when exposed to poverty, divorce and abuse, and women when exposed to violence and disaster. According to many studies conducted with children diagnosed with anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, parental parenting attitudes and family functions have an effect on these problems. The behavior of the parents determines the behavior of the children. For example, a child of a parent who exhibits rejecting behaviors may have low self-esteem, so the child may not be able to cope with stressors well enough. When one-to-one interviews are conducted with children who apply to psychiatry units and their families, it is seen that these children are a reflection of their families. The child, who takes the parents as a model in every way, also takes the parents' way of coping with stress as a model. In summary, children and adolescents are exposed to a lot of stress just like adults. Although those who have some protective factors are lucky, this is not true for all children and adolescents, mostly children who are negatively affected by these stressors experience experiences that will turn into psychopathology in the future.
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