Question

understanding stress chapter 4 lesson 1
enrichment activity
stressor survey
directions read the following passage. then complete the activity that follows.
there are many potential stressors during the teen years. physical, mental/emotional,
and social changes associated with puberty can cause stress. many teens also feel pressure
to live up to high academic expectations and to get into college. peer pressure to be thinner,
more attractive, or more athletic causes stress for many teens as well. some teens are under
stress because of bullying. living in a blended family or having parents who are divorced are
other common causes of teen stress.
teens dont always realize which situations and events are causing them stress. identify-
ing sources of stress is the first step in trying to deal with stress in healthful ways.
take a survey
with a group, use the information above and in figure 4.2 in the text to create a survey to
identify which stressors are most common for students in your school. answer the questions
below to help plan your survey. make ten copies of the survey and ask other students to
complete it. remind students that their answers will remain anonymous. after collecting the
completed surveys, analyze the results and summarize them in a report. discuss your report
with your class.

1. which stressors will you include in your survey? list at least five stressors.
2. how will you construct your survey? for example, will you ask students to simply check

off each stressor that affects them? will you ask them to rank each stressor on a scale
from weak to strong?

1. how will you explain, distribute, and collect your survey in order to get a large number

of students to complete it?

1. how will you summarize the results of your survey? describe how you will determine

which stressors affect the greatest number of students or affect students the most
seriously.

Explanation:

1. Stressors List:

• Academic pressure (e.g., high expectations, college entrance).
• Peer pressure (e.g., body - image like being thinner, more attractive, or athletic).
• Bullying.
• Family - related stress (e.g., living in a blended family or having divorced parents).
• Puberty - related changes (physical, mental/emotional, social).

1. Survey Construction:

• Use a checklist format where students can check off the stressors that affect them. This is simple and easy for students to complete quickly.

1. Explanation, Distribution, and Collection:

• Explain the survey by stating its purpose (to understand common stressors among students) and anonymity (assure students their answers are private).
• Distribute during a common free period (like lunch or homeroom) to a diverse group of students (different grades, genders, etc.).
• Collect immediately after giving a reasonable time (e.g., 5 - 10 minutes) to fill it out.

1. Summarizing Results:

• Count the number of checks for each stressor. The stressor with the highest number of checks affects the greatest number of students.
• For seriousness, if a stressor has a high number of checks and also has comments (if space is provided) indicating severe impact (e.g., “affects my daily life a lot”), it can be considered as affecting students the most seriously.

Answer:

1. Academic pressure, peer pressure, bullying, family - related stress, puberty - related changes.
2. Use a checklist format for students to check off stressors.
3. Explain purpose and anonymity, distribute during common free period to diverse students, collect immediately.
4. Count checks for number - affected, consider checks and comments (if any) for seriousness.