Associations of Social and Psychological Resources with Different Facets of Chronic Stress: A Study with Employed and Unemployed Adolescents

Laura M. Wade-Bohleber, Carmen Duss, Aureliano Crameri and Agnes von Wyl
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Laura M. Wade-Bohleber: Psychological Institute, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8037 Zurich, Switzerland
Carmen Duss: Psychological Institute, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8037 Zurich, Switzerland
Aureliano Crameri: Psychological Institute, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8037 Zurich, Switzerland
Agnes von Wyl: Psychological Institute, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8037 Zurich, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: Adolescents navigate many psychosocial changes. A critical transition in adolescence is the one from school to work life. Both taking the first steps in work life and the failure to achieve this transition and being unemployed can engender elevated levels of stress during adolescence. Stress, especially when experienced chronically, is an important risk factor for mental health problems. Social and psychological resources may mitigate the experience of chronic stress. This study explored associations of social and family support, self-esteem, and self-efficacy with different dimensions of chronic stress in a sample of 1405 employed and unemployed adolescents ( M (age) = 17.84, SD = 1.63, range: 14.05–26.12) in Switzerland. Unemployed adolescents showed higher stress levels overall. Higher levels of social and psychological resources were generally linked to lower stress levels. Social support and self-esteem predicted stress levels most consistently and strongly. On several stress dimensions, the association between higher self-esteem and lower stress levels was more pronounced in employed youth whereas the association between higher social support and lower stress levels was stronger in unemployed youth. Our findings provide insights on the differential associations of social and psychological resources with various facets of chronic stress in the context of employment and unemployment during adolescence.

Keywords: adolescence; unemployment; chronic stress; social resources; psychological resources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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