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| Abstract |
Background: Black adolescent girls are at a higher risk for stress and anxiety than White adolescent girls (Neal-Barnett, 2017). Many researchers argue that perceived stress is more important than experienced stress, as perceptions are closely related to an individual’s current functioning (Rueggeberg, 2012). People tend to perceive their stress as negative or positive. Subsequently, the way an individual perceives stress may affect their mood, coping strategies, and overall mental health. Currently, limited data explore Black adolescent girl’s perceptions of stress. Methods: As part of a larger study that utilized a culturally-infused stress and anxiety intervention, we collected data from 201 urban Black female middle school students. At baseline, we qualitatively assessed positive participant views about stress and then quantitatively assessed stress and anxiety scores using the Stress Test, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children 2nd Edition (MASC-2). Results: Our findings indicated that there was no significant mean difference in reported anxiety and stress scores between participants who identified positive aspects of stress and those who did not. The average stress level was 31.1333, indicative of low stress. The average PSS score was 21.3095, indicative of moderate stress. The data showed insignificant results when comparing stress levels with overall stress and anxiety among the participants. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a positive view on stress does not have an impact on one's overall stress and anxiety levels. Given these findings, future research should explore the relationship between positive and negative views on stress.
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Faculty Mentor
Keaton Somerville |
| Modified Abstract |
Black adolescent girls are at a higher risk for stress and anxiety than White adolescent girls (Neal-Barnett, 2017). Many researchers argue that perceived stress is more important than experienced stress, as perceptions are closely related to an individual’s current functioning (Rueggeberg, 2012). Limited data, however, explore Black adolescent girls’ perceptions of stress. We qualitatively assessed positive participant views about stress. Then, quantitatively we assessed stress and anxiety scores (n=201). Results indicated that there was no significant mean difference in reported anxiety and stress scores between participants who identified positive aspects of stress and those who did not. Average stress levels ranged from low to moderate. Future research should explore the relationship between positive and negative views on stress. |