By A/Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino, School of Biomedicine 

Like most other households these days, ours is busy. It seems like our family is constantly running from work to school to extracurriculars, and balancing my kids’ social schedules can often feel like another full-time job. Honestly, how many different apps does one school need?!

When taking the time to breathe can often feel like a luxury, is it any wonder that Australian families are feeling more stressed than ever? In fact, according to the 2024 National Working Families Survey, 74% of women and 47% of men report that they feel stressed trying to balance work and family commitments. It’s perhaps not surprising then that this appears to be having trickle down effects for our children.

Multiple studies conducted over the past several decades have shown that stress and anxiety are on the rise among children and adolescents, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a meta-analysis across 29 different studies published in the journal JAMA Paediatrics in 2021, approximately 1 in 5 young people worldwide experience symptoms of anxiety, a number which has nearly doubled since 2012. While it’s not clear exactly what might be responsible for such increases, this may stem from several sources, including parental stress levels, academic pressure, peer pressure, social media and global events (e.g. political unrest, natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic).

Is all stress bad?

Stress is a natural response to change or challenge, and in small doses — especially with the right support — it can actually be helpful. It can sharpen our focus, boost motivation, and encourage us to try something new or work towards a goal. This can lead us to build resilience, our capacity to respond to challenges while maintaining our wellbeing. When stress lasts for too long, or when we lack the support or coping skills needed to deal with stress, however, it can become detrimental.

Prolonged stress can weaken the immune system and contribute to the development of a number of both physical (e.g. heart disease, high blood pressure) and mental (e.g. anxiety, depression) health problems. It can disrupt sleep and appetite, strain relationships with friends and family, and impact the ability to concentrate and learn/remember new information, negatively impacting academic performance.

Why are children and teens particularly susceptible to stress?

Children and teens are particularly susceptible to the negative effects of stress. The regions of the brain that are important for emotional regulation and decision-making, such as limbic regions and the prefrontal cortex, are still not fully mature, with many of these areas undergoing significant development during adolescence. This can make it more difficult for teens to regulate their response to strong emotions or strategise how to cope with managing stress. 

Compared to adults, teens also have less experience and more limited coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, which may lead them to rely more on unhealthy coping mechanisms, exacerbating stress levels. Further complicating matters, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, our body’s stress response system, undergoes significant changes during adolescence, leading to heightened hormonal release in response to stress.

A growing body of research has suggested that stressors experienced during this critical period can impact the typical developmental trajectory of multiple brain regions, such as the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. This has negative effects on the function of several neural circuits, including those involved in the stress response, decision-making and emotional regulation. This may place young people experiencing chronic stress at increased risk of developing anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders. Concerningly, these effects may be long-lasting, persisting into adulthood. Therefore, it’s critical that we learn how to recognise the signs of stress in children, so that we can help them develop strategies to build their resilience and manage stress effectively.

How to recognise signs of stress in children and teens

Stress in children can manifest in many different ways. Children may have more frequent emotional outbursts, act out, or be more irritable or angry. You may also notice changes in behaviour, appetite or sleep patterns, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep or nightmares. Children may also report physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomach-aches, or express more fears or worries than usual. This may be accompanied by changes in school performance or increased withdrawal from family, peers and social activities.

How to help children develop resilience and learn to cope with stress

There are several things that you can do to help your children develop resilience and learn to cope with stress:

Talk it out: Foster an environment where children feel supported and validated to discuss their feelings and concerns. During periods of change, communicate with children what to expect, what they can do to cope, and reassure them that you will be there to provide support.

Encourage healthy habits: Focus on promoting balanced meals, physical activity and adequate sleep to reduce the negative effects of stress. Experts recommend 9-12 hours of sleep a night for 6- to 12-years old and 8-10 hours a night for teens. For children ages 6-17, at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity is recommended.

Create a calm environment: Develop consistent routines and safe spaces where kids can go to relax. This is particularly important when kids are going through stressful events or periods of change.

Teach coping strategies: Practice mindfulness, including yoga, deep breathing, journaling and meditation, with your children. Model positive coping strategies and be open about stressors that you have experienced and how you have dealt with these. Focus on building emotional intelligence- how to recognise our feelings and generate strategies to regulate them.

Take time to have fun and relax: Make time together to engage in positive activities, such as playing, spending time in nature or having a fun experience as a family. Make sure to make time for relaxation and down-time in between scheduled activities.

Follow KIDDO on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter