School-Related Stress and Psychosomatic Symptoms among Norwegian Adolescents

This study examines the relationships between school-related stress, gender and psychosomatic symptoms in a sample of 531 adolescents pupils in years (grades) 8, 9 and 10 (aged 13-16 years) from two compulsory schools in Norway. Results showed that 18.1 percent reported being ‘very much’ affected by...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:School psychology international 2004-08, Vol.25 (3), p.317-332
Main Authors: Murberg, Terje A., Bru, Edvin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Adolescent boys
Adolescent girls
Adolescents
Anxiety
Correlation
Educational psychology
Females
Foreign Countries
Gender
Gender Differences
Males
Multiple Regression Analysis
Norway
Psychological aspects
Psychosomatic Disorders
Psychosomatic symptoms
Questionnaires
School stress
Stress
Students
Teenagers
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Summary:This study examines the relationships between school-related stress, gender and psychosomatic symptoms in a sample of 531 adolescents pupils in years (grades) 8, 9 and 10 (aged 13-16 years) from two compulsory schools in Norway. Results showed that 18.1 percent reported being ‘very much’ affected by at least one of the assessed psychosomatic symptoms. Girls reported significantly more psychosomatic symptoms than did boys. Tests of the dimensionality of the school-related stress that was assessed in the present study showed four main categories: (1) difficulties with peers at school; (2) worries about school achievement; (3) schoolwork pressure and (4) conflicts with parents and/or teachers. Results from multiple regression analyses showed that scores for the different stressors were significantly associated with psychosomatic symptoms. Findings suggest that frequency of psychosomatic symptoms might be related to how well or otherwise pupils adapt to the demands of school and to the interpersonal climate of the school. Gender seems to play a differentiating role here. Girls reported significantly more stress that was related to worries about school achievement, whereas boys reported significantly more stress arising from conflicts with parents and/or teachers. Finally, stress due to difficulties with peers at school was more closely correlated with psychosomatic symptoms among boys than among girls.
ISSN:0143-0343
1461-7374
DOI:10.1177/0143034304046904