Stress Management (children)

Stress affects each of the five dimensions of health: physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. Examples of "distressors" (negative stressors) that children and adolescents may confront within these dimensions include: illness, injury, inadequate nutrition, and low levels of physical fitness (physical dimension); pressures to excel in academic and extracurricular activities, depression, and anxiety (mental/emotional dimension); relational issues, peer pressure, and dysfunctional family lives (social dimension); and inability to find purpose in life or to understand how individual lives contribute to a much larger and grander universe (spiritual dimension).

Rather than how much stress individuals experience, the critical issue seems to be how they perceive stress and respond to it. Seaward (1997) points out that coping with stress is an ongoing process. Therefore, it is critical that children and adolescents are given opportunities to develop life skills that will help them effectively cope with daily stressors, major life events, and change. The purpose of this Digest is to examine how comprehensive school health programs may promote stress management.

THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAM (CSHP)

A recently conceptualized model (Allensworth, Lawson, Nicholson, & Wyche, 1997) describes four key elements of CSHPs: community participation and focus, school environment, education, and services. Each of these areas is linked to enhance the well-being of the entire school and community. Examples of how stress management can be promoted through these components follow.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND FOCUS

School health efforts must be coordinated with the community at large. There are numerous ways in which stress management strategies can involve families and communities:

1. School health newsletters sent home and to community agencies may include health facts, tips, family activity ideas, and resources for further information on a particular health topic, such as time management.

2. The Family Involvement Calendar (Birch, 1994) includes ideas for family participation in health activities that reinforce a specific health topic or unit that is being studied at school.

3. Health fairs and community nights that include enjoyable educational activities can be held at the school (National PTA, 1997; Valentine, 1997); community groups can be involved in program planning and delivery.

4. Local newspapers, radio, and television stations can promote wellness activities including poster and/or writing contests for different age groups focusing

on the importance of stress management. Prizes may be donated by local businesses, and winning posters and/or writings can be displayed within the school or community (e.g., supermarkets).

5. Guest speakers from the community can address various stress management issues at student and staff health promotion programs.

SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

The school environment includes the physical setting as well as the policy and administrative environment, psychosocial environment, and health promotion for staff. Physical conditions that play a role in stress and the overall learning process include school size, lighting, temperature and ventilation, noise control, crowding, sanitation and cleanliness, and accessibility. The teacher's personality and behavior, respect for diversity and individual differences, and effective classroom management play a role in helping to ensure that students feel a sense of belonging, security, and trust. A nurturing emotional environment is especially important for those children and youth whose families exhibit behaviors such as abuse and neglect, violence, and alcohol and other drug abuse. School safety is directly associated with the stress experienced by students, teachers, and parents. Important areas that should be considered regarding safety and injury prevention include playground safety, violence prevention, conflict resolution, procedures for emergencies and disasters, and promotion of smoke- and drug-free schools.

It is critical that teachers and other school staff possess emotional wellness in order to manage their own lives as well as the lives of the children within their circle of influence. According to Pransky (1991), teachers who have participated in school health promotion programs report decreased absenteeism, enhanced morale, improvement in the quality of their teaching, enriched attitudes about their personal health, and a sense of well-being. Moreover, healthy teachers and staff serve as positive role models for children and their families. A staff wellness program might include instruction in relaxation techniques, diet planning, communication skills, smoking cessation, and incentives for lifestyle improvements, such as lower health insurance rates, bonus checks, and free or reduced-cost health club memberships.

EDUCATION

Various curricular areas offer practical opportunities to promote stress management (Gilbert & Orlick, 1996; DeWolfe & Saunders, 1995; Anderson & Haslam, 1994; Romano, 1992; Miller & McCormick, 1991). School-based life skills programs that focus on such