American teens report experiences with stress that follow a similar pattern as adults, according to a new survey released by the American Psychological Association (APA). In fact, during the school year, teens say their stress level is higher than levels reported by adults in the past month. For teens and adults alike, stress has an impact on healthy behaviors like exercising, sleeping well, and eating healthy foods.
Findings from Stress in America: Are Teens Adopting Adults’ Stress Habits?, which was conducted online by Harris Interactive Inc (on behalf of APA) among 1,950 adults and 1,018 teens in the United States in August 2013, suggest that unhealthy behaviors associated with stress may begin manifesting early in people’s lives.
When adults do not get enough sleep, 21% report feeling more stressed. On average, teens report sleeping far less than the recommended amount—7.4 hours on school nights and 8.1 hours on non-school nights, compared with the 8.5 to 9.25 hours recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. Nearly one in five teens (18%) say that when they do not get enough sleep, they are more stressed, and 36% of teens report feeling tired because of stress in the past month.
To read the full Stress in America report, download graphics, and view the new video “Stress in America: Conquering Your Stress,” visit www.stressinamerica.org.
