Background: Previous research shows that secondary school students experience increasing amounts of school-related stress and emotional problems. Students who struggle with these problems might...Show moreBackground: Previous research shows that secondary school students experience increasing amounts of school-related stress and emotional problems. Students who struggle with these problems might benefit from learning more about stress, for example with a psychoeducational program about stress. Aim: This study investigated the effect of a school-based psychoeducational program, The Stress Lessons, on students’ knowledge on the subject of stress. In addition, this study also explored the relationship between stress and emotional problems and the influence of students' educational level (i.e., academic track or vocational track). Method: A total of 1617 (M = 13.41, SD = 0.89) students from nine different secondary schools in the Netherlands participated. The Stress Lessons had three aims: 1) to gain more knowledge about stress, 2) to learn how to recognize stress in one’s body and 3) to learn skills that can help cope with stress. The Stress Lessons were tested by employing a cluster randomized controlled trial with a pre-posttest design. Participants filled in self-reported questionnaires about knowledge about stress, internalizing problems, somatic complaints, school burnout, test anxiety, social phobia and perceived stress. Results: The results revealed that, after the Stress Lessons, knowledge about stress was higher in the experimental group compared to the control group. Furthermore, the results revealed a significant distribution between educational level and stress and emotional problems, indicating that students in the academic track are more likely to experience stress and emotional problems than vocational students. In particular, symptoms of school burnout, test anxiety and social phobia were experienced more in the academic track compared to the vocational track. On the other hand, stress from romantic relationships, peer pressure and financial pressure were experienced more in the vocational track compared to the academic track. Conclusion: The Stress Lessons revealed to be effective in teaching students about stress, which in turn might reduce stigma and stimulate help-seeking behavior among students. The results imply that schools should lower the demands put upon students, especially those in academic tracks. In addition, secondary schools should consider implementing the Stress Lessons into their curriculum to raise the understanding of stress among their students.Show less
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of intrapersonal and environmental factors with emotional problems of Moroccan-Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and native Dutch youth. The research sample...Show moreThe aim of this study was to examine the relationship of intrapersonal and environmental factors with emotional problems of Moroccan-Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and native Dutch youth. The research sample consisted of 181 Moroccan-Dutch students, 149 Turkish-Dutch students and 211 native Dutch students in the age of 12 to 18 years. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess whether the students had emotional problems. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was used to measure self-esteem and the Family Affluence Scale to measure the socio-economic status. The results show that emotional problems are most frequently reported by girls, except for Moroccan-Dutch students in which no difference is found between boys and girls. There was no difference in emotional problem between the younger group (12 to 14 year) and the older group (15 to 18 year). In general, students with low self-esteem seem to experience more emotional problems. Furthermore the results show that there are ethnic differences in the correlation between the socio- economic status and emotional problems. For Turkish-Dutch and native Dutch students the results show that a high socio-economic status correlates with less emotional problems. On the other side the results for Moroccan-Dutch students show that a high socio-economic status correlates with more emotional problems. For follow-up research it’s interesting to examine multiple intrapersonal and environmental factors in relation to emotional problems. This insight will help professionals in adjusting their methods more specifically to risk factors for emotional problems in Moroccan-Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and native Dutch youth.Show less
