Teenage Stress
March 2009 - Research led by UCLA to be published in Psychosomatic Medicine
has found that stress in adolescence may have a negative impact on
health in adulthood. Healthy teenagers reporting interpersonal conflicts
had increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) an inflammatory marker
associated with later development of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Andrew J. Fuligni, professor of psychiatry, said:
"Although most research on stress and inflammation has
focused upon adulthood, these results show that such links can occur as
early as the teenage years, even among a healthy sample of young men and
women. That suggests that alterations in the biological substrates that
initiate CVD begin before adulthood."
The researchers explain that common stressors, such as
arguing with family or friends, are among the most powerful predictors
of psychological distress. The current study investigated the potential
physiological impact in 69 individuals with an average age of 17 years
from Latin American and European backgrounds. Participants completed a
check-list on 14 consecutive nights, reporting any negative
interpersonal interactions with family, peers or school personnel
(including disagreements, harassment or punishments). The study allowed
for variables as socioeconomic status, major stressful life events and
over-sensitivity to rejection. Researchers found that daily
interpersonal stress was associated with elevated levels of
inflammation, as measured by higher levels of CRP in blood samples
assayed an average of eight months later.
Andrew Fuligni commented:
"Our findings are consistent with the emerging body of
evidence that points to the link between stress and increased
inflammation, which places individuals at risk for the later development
of cardiovascular disease."
The study also found that this association was unrelated
to the individual's psychological appraisal of stressful experiences or
level of sensitivity to social rejection. Researchers comment that this
highlights the importance of focusing on actual daily stressful
experiences in adolescence when assessing the role of psychological and
social factors in development of risk for CVD.
Andrew Fuligni concluded:
"Although the frequency of some of these experiences may
be low, they could have a significant impact upon long-term physical
health during adulthood."
http://www.psyarticles.com/stress/teen-stress.htm
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