Levels of Stress Experiences and Stress Symptomatology in Children and Adolescents: A Comparison of Cohorts from 1996, 2006, and 2018

Abstract

This study examines whether the levels of stress experience and physical stress symptomatology have changed in children and adolescents over the past 20 years. The study uses data from 4,450 third- to sixth-grade students (aged 6 to 14 years) based on norm data collected in 1996 on the Stress and Coping Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (Cohort 1, n = 960, 49 % male), 2006 (Cohort 2, n = 1324, 49 % male), and 2018 (Cohort 3, n = 2166, 50 % male). An examination of the measurement invariance using confirmatory factor models showed partial scalar invariance for both scales, which is the prerequisite for conducting latent mean comparisons. The comparisons do not indicate a significant change over time for either the level of stress experience or physical stress symptomatology. Furthermore, the invariance analyses reveal that the structure of the included constructs on stress experience and stress symptomatology remained stable over time.