Stress and youth

This chapter critically examines recent literature on stress among Hong Kong youth in order to clarify misconceptions about its nature and function, to examine some of the main sources of stress among youth in Hong Kong, to illustrate an alternative perspective of stress-related problems in terms of ‘protective factors’ rather than ‘stressors,’ to present the influence of culture on perceived protective factors (e.g., hardiness, locus of control and self-efficacy, gender differences, problem solving skills, coping skills, and social support), to increase knowledge about culturally sensitive approaches, and to suggest directions for future lines of research.