Stress and self concept in 10- to 15-year old school students

The present study was conducted to examine the relationship between stress and self-concept in young people between the ages of 10 and 15 years. Previous research has found an inverse relationship between stress (as measured by the number of stressful events occurring) and self-concept. This study examined events deemed to have a negative effect on young people that occurred during the previous month. The events were determined through a focus group discussion methodology and the results of the discussion amalgamated into a questionnaire that tapped stress as well as self-concept and other areas of mental and physical health. Both major events and minor hassles were included in the final list of stressful events. The number and the relative effect of these events were correlated with overall self-concept as measured by the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. The results indicated that there is a small negative relationship between overall self-concept and the frequency and effect of stressful events, suggesting that as stress increases there is a decrease in self-concept. Although the inclusion of stressful events that relate specifically to the 10- to 15-year-old age group increases the validity of the scale for use with this age group, it is recognized that the inclusion of daily hassles, identified as stressful by the adolescents, may have weakened the relationship between concepts of self and life events. Relationships between self-concept, stress, and age and gender are explored, and confirm that females experience more stress and express it as having a greater impact than boys, while age, within the 10- to 15-year-olds sampled, does not reliably predict frequency of experience and effect of stress. Levels of self-concept however, remain the strongest predictor of which young people will indicate experiencing stress and its negative effects.