For Stress Awareness Month, here are a few resources to aid caregivers in identifying the signs of stress in their children, and information on how to help their children cope with stress.
American Psychological Association
This article from the American Psychological Association emphasizes that everyone experiences stress in their own ways, and provides common sources of stress in young children. It also offers several ways to manage stress for kids and teens along with advice on how to recognize the signs of toxic stress in children. https://www.apa.org/topics/child-development/stress
Center for Disease Control
The CDC provides information on how to identify stress in young children and teens as well as offering information on ways that caregivers can support their children. This website also offers a “Parental Resources Kit” to help caregivers to ensure children’s social, emotional, and mental well-being. https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/help-children-cope/index.html
Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute website offers information on a wide range of topics such as stress, anxiety, and mood disorders. Each topic is extensively covered in easy-to-understand terms, and advice on treatment and parenting skills are also offered. https://childmind.org/topics-a-z/?gclid=CjwKCAjwo8-SBhAlEiwAopc9WywgKCr54JgQGcPWuM6-cWRIHoIMFgLG2spGrgJ_ecUowgvDd_Yv1hoC1q4QAvD_BwE
Harvard University
This article covers the dangers of toxic stress and the common signs in children that caregivers should be aware of. Additional reading on the dangers of toxic stress and the benefits of positive stress are included at the end of the article. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/
Healthy Children
This article explores the different pressures that children face and offers advice on how to help them manage their stress. It also differentiates between negative and positive stress, and offers further resources on how to help children.
Johns Hopkins
This article by Johns Hopkins Medicine acknowledges that caregivers can sometimes feel lost when caring for a child with stress, and offers several good tips on how to help children cope with stress.
Kids Health
This article explains the different types of stress that children may experience, and offers caregivers advice on how to approach each unique situation. The site also offers more resources for caregivers and children themselves who are seeking aid in coping with stress. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/stress.html
PBS
PBS acknowledges that the past few years have been stressful for caregivers and the children they care for, and provides advice on how to manage stress created by the pandemic. While it is focused on how the pandemic has affected children the advice offered in the article is beneficial for any caregiver seeking information on how to help their children who experience stress.
https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/routines-to-help-kids-cope-with-stress
Purdue University
This article offers an introduction to stress in children and also provides a range of tools for helping children manage stress from general stress management techniques to further reading on the subject. https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/psychology/children-stress/
Unicef
While this article is also focused on how to help children cope with stress caused by the pandemic it provides several good resources and tools to help children.