Although much research has been done examining adult stressors, only recently have researchers focused attention on measuring levels of stress in children. Because children tend not to be aware of their own tense state, instruments are needed to measure levels of stress in children. The two main methods of measuring stress in children are to ask…

Children today come to school with problems that are markedly different from those of only a generation ago. Because school is such a large part of a child's life, the school experience is a highly significant factor in the child's life-stress situation. Unfortunately, many of the current practices in the school, far from helping children to cope,…

Stress is simply the body's response to changes that create taxing demands. When one cannot cope with it, these cause distresses. Stress is not always bad. The manageable stress motivates individuals to achieve what he/she wishes to achieve. When one can cope with stress it is called "eustress" which is good. Education in many countries…

This paper discusses the issue of children's rights and describes a study in which a 300-item attitude scale was constructed and administered to several groups of adult subjects. Major content areas, dealing with the rights of children aged 10-14 included: health, safety/care, education and information, economics, and legal, judicial, and…

The study compared the self-concepts of siblings of handicapped children with norms and examined mediators for this personality variable. Thirty-four siblings of handicapped children (2-15 years old) from the United States and Canada completed a children's self-concept scale while their parents filled out two questionnaires: one on parental…

Research findings produce a positive argument for the inclusion of relaxation training in the school curriculum. Since today's children face a great deal of stress, they must learn coping techniques. Learning to relax at will is one method of learning to survive, because the relaxation response is incompatible with anxiety; the child learns to…

The author reviews the nature of stress and the individual's response to it and considers ways in which stress affects gifted children. Attempts to categorize or classify types of stressors are reviewed. Gifted children face additional demands of academic stressors (including unchallenging and repetitious curricula) and personal-social stressors…

If parents, school personnel, or other caring adults want to reduce the number of stressors or the amount of stress experienced by school children, these adults must first recognize childhood stress, identify children's stressors, and evaluate the stress. This literature review reveals how adults can accomplish these goals by defining stress,…

To examine the effects of hearing impairment on the family, questionnaires were completed by 358 mothers and 184 fathers of hearing impaired children enrolled in special education. Questionnaires measured three areas: (1) family stress; (2) communication with the hearing-impaired child; and (3) relationships with professionals and others outside…

Rating scales are increasingly popular in research and clinical studies of children. The Stress Response Scale was developed to test whether a child's behavior rating scale could be constructed based on a theoretical model of personality and if it could be validated by empirical means in order to obtain clinically useful factor scores. The scale…

Issues are presented which concern today's children, even those growing up under the best of environmental, social, and economic conditions. All will face an increased probability of emotional stress accompanying problems of living, undoubtedly resulting in increased demands upon child mental health services. The history of child mental health…

The study investigated the family environment of 19 noninstitutionalized learning disabled children (mean age 12 years). Parents of Ss completed a demographic data form and the Family Environment Scale (FES), a published inventory which assesses the social climate of a family. A major finding was the lack of any significant stress or disorder.…

The modified House Model of Social Stress is used to discuss the variability of individual responses to potentially stressful events or transitions. The model graphically depicts the variety of ways people respond to the potentially complex interaction among variables associated with stress. It also depicts the potential relationship among…

Extreme classroom discipline can cause post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) in children. Only extraordinary stressors qualify as stressors resulting in PTSD, yet this requirement is inadequate. Although corporal punishment may be common and acceptable in certain areas, acutely corporally punished children exhibit PTSD, regardless of the region.…

How adolescents deal with the difficulties and disappointments in their lives determines whether or not they will be able to successfully adapt to life stress. As the stresses of living become greater in our society, the number of adolescents who kill themselves also continues to increase. This study supported the concept that continual failure…