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Marlee Ross

Prof. Kiewitz

Eng 1201

14 Mar. 2020

Literature Review:

With this literature review, I am trying to dig deeper about teen stress, what causes it,

and what teens can do to manage it. I am leaning towards how dysfunctional families,

technology, sports, etc all come into play with this. I picked the five most relevant sources that I

think will help me achieve my goal in going in depth with this topic. I most specifically chose this

question as it pertains to me in my life, because personally I am always stressed myself. Finally,

my research question is: Why are teens stress levels so high?

Certainly, with the more modern technology we have today, such as iPhones and social

media apps, teens are more involved in the current-day/”trendy” activities. The history of teen

stress has risen at tremendous rates over the last decade. The Harvard Graduate School of

Education states that, “Many experts have described a rise in sleeplessness, loneliness, worry,

and dependence among teenagers — a rise that coincides with the release of the first iPhone

10 years ago.” (Social Media and Teen Anxiety.) The same source also adds that, “They’re the

same sort of developmental challenges that adolescents have grappled with for decades,

though now they’re taking place in different spaces that can certainly amplify them and shift their

quality, quantity, and scale.” (Social Media and Teen Anxiety.) Not to mention, The U.S.

Department of Health & Human Services describes that: “Excessive use may suggest problems in

other areas of life (such as social isolation or loneliness) that may require immediate action” (Office

of Adolescent Health). This further concludes that stress has been around for a long time, but

with more technological devices and apps has made it worse.

A common theme I noticed throughout various sources was that there seemed to be a

common “origin” of the stress for each individual source, whether it was anxiety, pressure,
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parental conflicts, school, etc. Yet, they were all similar. One of my five sources, Journal of Pure

Power, briefly mentions parents making stress worse, causing a teen to be put under pressure

to exceed at something. Another source, Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, mentions

“Additional consequences of sleeping difficulties among adolescents include depression,

anxiety, concentration difficulties, hyperactivity, poorer performance in school, immune

deficiency, obesity and diabetes.” (Jakobsson 6-9). Also, watching the documentary, Fourth

Period Burnout, CBC Docs, some teens “interviewed” talk about pressure to succeed in high

school. They mention how balancing the workload and other activities becomes difficult.

(Thomas). I realized there always seems to be a starting point at where the stress takes place,

and that every individual has their own to deal with that makes these situations different. My

personal interview I did with the guidance counselor at my school, Anna Duckro, helped me dig

deeper towards the idea of stress and what she’s learned from it. She stated: “I know what it’s

like to be a teenager, I was at these moments in time myself when I was a teen. I just want to

get them the help they need in case it is in fact a serious problem for them. It’s my job and

responsibility to do so” (Duckro).

As for disagreements between sources, I couldn’t find specific pieces anywhere, but it’s

obvious that each source seemed to focus on a specific factor- either social media, sleeping

difficulties, school related, parental conflicts, etc. All sources chose certain topics to talk about,

because that’s what they think has the most impact and effect on teen stress.

Each source I chose seemed to pick a main issue and write about it. This helped me

choose between the diversity of my topic, and helped me confirm that there’s more than one

component that plays a role in teen stress. It’s important to know though, that many teens can

overcome these challenges, with ways everyday to cope/manage stress. There are right and

wrong ways of doing it though, and it’s good to know what ways are bad. Stated by the

Massachusetts Medical Society Alliance, they state that these are not the answer: “Alcohol and

drugs, irregular eating habits, withdrawing from friends and family, spending too much time on
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the computer or watching TV, procrastination, and angry outbursts” (Hensley). All of my sources

focused on social media, school, how sleeping difficulties are associated with technology and

anxiety, and being put under pressure to do well at something and not fail. The range of

audiences for each source can range from teens to adult ages. The purpose of each source was

to persuade the reader how each factor affects stress negatively. The writers want to get what

they think is important out, because that’s what side they’re on. As for the reliability, all of my

sources were credible as I chose these 5/10 for my bibliography. Overall, seeing multiple topics

helped me get a better idea of how teen stress can originate.

As I wrap this literature review up, I want to end at a good place where I can come to a

conclusion with some possible answers to my research question. I firmly consider that a lot of

teen stress these days comes from social media, school, and family problems. I feel like I might

need to continue to dig deeper in continuation with this process, to be able to get a better grasp

of each factor. I feel like many factors play a role with teen stress, and I want to be able to go

more in depth with them for my paper.

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Works Cited:

Denizet-lewis, Benoit. “Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From

Severe Anxiety?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017,

www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/magazine/why-are-more-american-teenagers-than-ever-

suffering-from-severe-anxiety.html.

Duckro, Anna. Personal Interview. 28 Feb 2020.

Hensley, Jordan C. Teen Stress: Tips on Managing Daily Stress. Massachusetts Medical

Society Alliance, 2012, https://www.massmed.org/About/Affiliates-and-Subsidiaries/MMS-

Alliance/Teen-Stress--Tips-on-Managing-Daily-Stress-(pdf)/.

Jakobsson, Malin, MSN, RN, et al. "Sleep duration and sleeping difficulties among adolescents:

exploring associations with school stress, self perception and technology use."

Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, vol. 33, no. 1, 2019, pp. 197-206. OhioLINK

Electronic Journal Center, doi:10.1111/SCS.12621.

Office of Adolescent Health. “Talking With Teens About Online Safety: How You Make a

Difference.” HHS.gov, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2 July 2019,

www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/resources-and-training/for-families/online-safety/make-a-differen

ce/index.html.

“PARENTAL PRESSURE AND TEEN ANXIETY: Parents Fuel a Kid’s Competition Anxiety.”

Journal of Pure Power, vol. 5, no. 1, Jan. 2010, pp. 59–63. EBSCOhost,
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search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=47557444&site=ehost-live.

“Social Media and Teen Anxiety.” Harvard Graduate School of Education,

www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/12/social-media-and-teen-anxiety.

Thomas, Madison, director. Fourth Period Burnout. Performances by Juliette, Daniel, and

Theresa, CBC Docs, 2018. YouTube,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCT83a7UMVE.