Helping adolescents cope with stress during stressful times

Increasing levels of stress in the daily lives of adolescents is an important health concern. Adolescents experience a variety of stressful situations and use a wide range of coping strategies to help effectively manage stress. Recent research on adolescent coping with stressful situations is reviewed. Findings support an association between coping and adolescent health problems, chronic physical illness, and mental health. More research is needed to investigate the long-term benefits of coping with stress on adolescent health and well-being. Specific recommendations for helping adolescents cope with stressful situations are discussed. Health care providers are encouraged to assess how adolescents cope with acute and chronic stressors and provide adolescents with information about coping with stressful situations.