Stress

Research has suggested that children experience increasing stress as they move through adolescence. Some research has focused on the entrance into adolescence itself as one type of normative experience that accounts for higher levels of stress during this stage. This transition is characterized by both biological challenges associated with puberty, as well as social challenges such as moving into middle school and developing cross-sex relationships. Moreover, there is an accumulation of other types of stressful events during adolescence that exceed those experienced prior to this period. Interestingly, some studies have suggested that the nature of stress during adolescence may differ in girls and boys. For example, Karen D. Rudolph and Constance Hammen found that adolescent girls experience particularly high levels of interpersonal stress, such as conflicts with parents and friends, whereas adolescent boys experience particularly high levels of noninterpersonal stress, such as school-related difficulties.