07. Stressed-Out Teens
Gary Evans
Gary W. Evans, Human Development, and his research group conducted the first study to explore how mothers’ responsiveness and support may protect adolescents against the cumulative effects of chronic exposure to family turmoil, violence, noise, poor housing, and other risk factors. Although these youths show more stress-induced physiological strain on their organs and tissues than other youths, when they have responsive mothers, they do not experience negative psychological changes. Evans’ study is also the first to examine cardiovascular recovery from stress in youths. Adolescents who are exposed to several chronic risk factors show compromised cardiovascular systems regardless of maternal responsiveness. The results of the study suggests that the physiological toll of coping with multiple risk factors is significantly greater than that of coping with a single severe event. Evans’ group studied seventh- and eighth-grade youths in rural upstate New York, who had participated in the first stage of the study while they were in elementary school.