Adolescence can be one of the toughest times of a young woman's life. Recent findings in Clinical Psychological Science highlight that young women are more likely than boys to deal with depression. 

"Adolescence in and of itself is stressful, but even more so when adolescents ruminate on that stress," said an article on MedicalDaily.com. "Rumination, as defined by the Association for Psychological Science, is a style of thinking that makes people vulnerable to depression." 

The study looked at 400 adolescents "participating in a separate, ongoing longitudinal study having to do with cognitive vulnerability and depression." In the study, both boys and girls completed evaluations and assessments involving their "cognitive styles, depressive symptoms, even sex." The article found teens who had higher levels of stress "showed higher levels of negative cognitive style and rumination. These same teens also experienced more depressive symptoms during follow-up assessments."

"These findings draw our focus to the important role of stress as a potential causal factor in the development of vulnerabilities to depression...and could change the way that we target risk for adolescent depression,” said Jessica Hamilton, lead study author. “Parents, educators, and clinicians should understand that girls’ greater exposure to interpersonal stressors places them at risk for vulnerability to depression and ultimately, depression itself."

It's beneficial for teens to have less stress and it's also fortifying for teens to learn just how best to respond to stressors. School support staff and teachers may wish to work together to combat issues involving stress. If you know of a particularly helpful program related to stress reduction, please share in the comments below or email [email protected].

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor