Abstract
Rapid changes in the environment have had a serious influence on the mental development of children and there are not a few children who loose their psychosomatic health (health of mind and body). Those children may have not fully learned ways to cope with stress. In Western countries, stress management has been introduced into the field of medicine and education from the early stages. There are many reports that stress management is very effective in preventing children's behavior problems. It has also become necessary to immediately introduce stress management in Japan. However, when introducing stress management in Japan, it is necessary to grasp the current stress conditions of Japanese children, and then produce the method corresponding to such conditions. This study investigated relations between responses to stressors and factors that reduce stress in children. The subjects were 463 children (240 boys and 223 girls). Correlation coefficients between school stressors and responses to stressors were calculated by multiple regression analysis and good-poor analysis. The results indicated that the stressors in the human relationship with friends or teachers, beside studies, were related to responses to stressors. Then, correlation of each factor that reduces stress was calculated by multiple regression analysis and good-poor analysis. The results showed that self-efficacy reduced responses to stressors both boys and girls, and that cognitive evaluation affected the girls to reduce their responses to stressors more effectively than the boys. Furthermore, thinking evasion coping in the boys and change of pace coping in girls worked to increase their responses to stressors respectively. Regarding social support, boys' responses to stressors were related to relationship with friends, while those of girls' were related to relationship with teachers. Although self-efficacy and cognitive evaluation reduced responses to stressors, it is worthy of notice that stressors in human relationships be related to responses to stressors and that social supports reduce responses to stressors. when we adapt stress management to Japanese children, we need to develop the method that promotes the development of good human relation.
