Feeling stressed out? Study says it's all in the family

November 8, 7:18 AMOrlando Parenting ExaminerRobyn Kurth

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Stress is on the rise, and adults aren't the only ones feeling it, according to an APA study.
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Last week the American Psychological Association (APA) released the results of a new national survey that suggest stress is on the rise among teens and tweens, although their parents' perception of children's stress is "out of sync" with reality.

This is the first year that children's answers to the annual survey have been taken into account. According to the APA press release, "Teens and tweens were more likely than parents to say that their stress had increased in the last year. Nearly half (45 percent) of teens ages 13 - 17 said that they worried more this year, but only 28 percent of parents think their teen's stress increased, and while a quarter (26 percent) of tweens ages 8 - 12 said they worried more this year, only 17 percent of parents believed their tween's stress had increased."

The report went on to say that "parents' responses about sources of stress for their children were out of sync with what children reported as sources of worry." Thirty percent of children surveyed said that their family's financial difficulties were a source of stress, whereas only 18 percent of parents believed it was a source of stress for their children. Likewise, 44 percent of the children said they were stressed out about school, but only 34 percent of the parents believed that their kids were stressed about their school performance.

In a related snapshot of Stress in America, some of the top "very or somewhat significant sources of stress" for parents are money (listed by 88 percent of the mothers and 68 percent of the fathers), work (62 percent of moms, 73 percent of fathers), the economy (70 percent of mothers, 60 percent of fathers), and family responsibilities (73 percent moms, 65 percent dads).