U.S. teens are following in the shoes of their very stressed parents; in fact, today's teens report higher stress levels than parents, researchers say.
A survey by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Psychological Association conducted Aug. 3-31, 2013, among 1,950 U.S. adults and 1,018 teens ages 13 to 17 found teens report experiences with stress that follow a similar pattern as adults.
Teens reported their stress level during the school year far exceeded what they believed to be healthy -- 5.8 versus 3.9 on a 10-point scale -- and it topped adults' average reported stress levels of 5.8 for teens versus 5.1 for adults.
Even during the summer, when the interviewing took place, teens reported their stress during the past month at levels higher than what they believe is healthy -- 4.6 versus 3.9 on a 10-point scale.
In addition, 31 percent of the teens reported feeling overwhelmed and 30 percent reported feeling depressed or sad as a result of stress. More than one-third of teens reported fatigue or feeling tired and nearly one-quarter of teens reported skipping a meal due to stress.
Only 16 percent of the teens reported their stress level declined in the past year, but approximately twice as many -- 31 percent -- said their stress increased in the past year or said they thought their stress level would increase in the coming year.
No margin of error was provided.
