What are stress factors in children?

While the stress reaction in children and adults can be very similar, there are great differences in the triggering factors. Thus, social stress factors usually play an even greater role in children. One of the leading stressors in this context are family problems, such as divorce, but also the loss of a parent.

This is usually less well tolerated by children than is the case with adults. If one of the two parents leaves the family, the children often not only lack a loved one in their everyday life, but the child’s thought of family security is shattered and trust is lost. Furthermore, a lack of security or a lack of trust are important sources of stress for children.

In addition, normal developmental steps, such as attending kindergarten or school, can cause enormous stress for children, as they have to adapt to a completely new social context and are usually overwhelmed by the new demands at the beginning. Not to be underestimated is the pressure to perform, which many children suffer from their parents. It can quickly lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed. Do you suspect that your child suffers from depression? Our next article will help you to recognize and eliminate it in time: Depression in children

How can stress factors be reduced?

If the intention is to reduce your own stress level, you should always first ask yourself which stress factors trigger the strongest stress reaction.Once these are identified, various strategies can be pursued to reduce one’s own stress level. The most banal method is the reduction or avoidance of the stressful activity. However, since often the job or family tasks are the strongest stressors, such an implementation is usually not possible.

Instead, an attempt should be made to increase one’s own stress perception and stress resistance. Thus several relaxation exercises in studies could show a clear increase of the stress resistances. These include, for example, progressive muscle relaxation or certain forms of yoga.

Other forms of sport, such as jogging, can also have a positive influence. Furthermore, several everyday strategies for dealing with stress have been developed in recent years. These include, for example, setting concrete achievable goals for a day, better time management or creating a pleasant workplace. In addition, the aim should always be to achieve an even “work-life balance“.