Den stressade eleven
En enkätstudie om stressorer som utsätter barnen för stress
Researchers claim that stress has become a word of fashion and is now frequently used. They also state that there is no accepted definition that can easily describe the concept. In this essay, I have examined children and stress. The aim of the diploma work is to illustrate stress more closely the stress concept, the underlying reasons that can influence children and how teachers and school staff support children in their stress handling. My three issues are: What is stress? What stressors put children, at home and at school, in a stress situation? How can teachers help children to manage their stress? The diploma work is based on a literature study in order to find out what has been written on the subject in earlier research. Moreover, the work is based on four interviews with three class teachers and a school nurse in order to illustrate their experiences of what stresses children at school. In order to get a good base for the work the children's participation was of utmost importance to get a good base for the work, therefore questionnaires were given to 89 children in class 4 and 5. The results of the questionnaires showed that children had little or no knowledge of the stress concept. They associate it most often with lack of time and having to hurry. Children can be stressed just like adults. In addition, stress levels differ greatly between them, which means that some children feel more stress-tolerant than others. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the child's environment affects the child, school and home being the greatest stress factors. Keywords: Children under stress, stress, stressor, stress handling.