A study on the relationship between stress and psychological well-being of adolescents

Introduction

Adolescence is a transformative and sensitive developmental period characterized by rapid biological, emotional and social changes. As adolescents navigate the transition from dependence to independence, they encounter multiple internal and external stressors that challenge their psychological strength and overall well-being (WHO, 2021) [19] . Research consistently indicates that this age group is particularly vulnerable to emotional disruptions and mental health challenges, largely due to their developing cognitive capacities and heightened emotional sensitivity (Aggarwal et al. 2024) [2] . Stress is a cognitive and physiological response to demands that exceed a person's adaptive capacity has become increasingly prevalent among adolescents. Sources of adolescent stress include academic pressure, family conflict, peer relationships, body image concerns and uncertainty about the future. A large-scale Indian study revealed that over 30% of adolescents experienced severe levels of stress, primarily from parents, academic and social expectations. Stress can significantly impact adolescents' ability to function effectively in their daily lives, interfering with concentration, sleep, decision-making and self-esteem (Azad and Kaur, 2023) [5] . At the same time, psychological well-being has emerged as a key construct in the field of adolescent health. Psychological well-being is not simply the absence of mental illness, but the presence of positive functioning in multiple dimensions such as inner control, competence in everyday life, self-development, social bonding, living with ambition and being comfortable with oneself (Ryff, 1989) [15] . A study conducted by Heizomi et al. (2018) [9] reported that adolescents with high psychological well-being tend to be more resilient, emotionally balanced, socially connected and optimistic about the future. The majority (74.3%) of the adolescents had high stress levels and reported that most (64.7%) of them were vulnerable to mental health problems and the psychological well-being was negatively associated with stress. Adolescents today face not only traditional stressors but also the added weight of modern pressures such as social advancements and high achievements. A recent metaanalysis of 46 international studies revealed a significant negative association between stress and mental well-being www.extensionjournal.com (Ansari et al. 2025) [4] . These findings reinforce that high stress often erodes vital aspects of psychological well-being, like emotional stability, self-perception and social competence. These insights underscore that adolescence is a period marked by psychological vulnerability, which significantly impairs mental well-being (Scafuto et al. 2025) [16] . The adolescent phase is highly susceptible to stress-related challenges that can hinder psychological well-being. Persistent stress not only disrupts emotional and cognitive functioning but also weakens self-acceptance and social bonds. Research has shown that stress can lead to reduced psychological well-being and mental health in the adolescent age group.

Review of literature

Murray et al. (2015) [14] conducted a study on 515 adolescents and revealed that adolescents experience significant personal stress largely due to body image concerns and both boys and girls reported feeling greater pressure about their appearance. The study found a strong link between body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem and stress in adolescents. Florencio et al. (2017) [8] conducted a study on adolescent perception of stress and the study revealed that the majority (57%) of adolescents perceived negative family interactions as major stressors. The participants revealed that feelings of neglect, conflict and lack of parental support contribute to emotional distress. Windarwati et al. (2020) [18] revealed that adolescents experiencing high stress levels came from unharmonious families. It reinforces the notion that family plays a protective role in mitigating stress among adolescents. Hosseinkhani et al. (2020) [10] conducted a study on 1724 adolescents about their academic stress and mental health. The study findings revealed that academic stress significantly affects adolescents' mental health, with stress from families having the strongest impact. It highlights that family pressure is the most influential source of academic stress. Malik et al. (2020) [13] investigated the relationship between stress and psychological well-being among adolescents and revealed that there was a significant negative correlation between stress and psychological well-being, reporting lower mental health and increased anxiety. Erath et al. (2021) [7] studied about the stress in adolescence and the findings of the study reported that there was a high social stress among adolescents, especially from parents, peers and romantic relationships but their coping abilities were under strain and challenging. Zaheer and Khan (2022) [20] studied the role of stress and psychological well-being among 530 adolescents and the study found that stress has a negative relationship with psychological well-being and aspects of psychological wellbeing like environmental mastery and self-acceptance. Al-Amer et al. (2024) [3] pointed out the prevalence of stress among adolescents and reported that two-thirds are affected. The majority (43%) of the adolescents had severe stress, followed by moderate stress (22.8%) and extremely severe stress (16.8%), indicating that most of the adolescents (82.6%) were significantly affected.

Materials and Methods

Location of the study

The present study was aimed to study the relationship between stress and psychological well-being among adolescents. The study was carried out in Hyderabad city of Telangana state because the city's ethnography has a diverse demographic population from various parts of Telangana state. The city was divided into six zones and 12 private colleges were randomly selected from these zones.

Sample size

A total of 240 adolescents, comprising 120 boys and 120 girls, were selected as a sample for the study.

Tools used for the study

A questionnaire for stress was developed with four dimensions and 44 items, the dimensions were family stress, personal stress, academic stress and social stress. Psychological Well-Being scale, under 6 components and 42 statements, such as autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life and selfacceptance was used.

Statistical Analysis

The SPSS 16.0 package program was used to analyze the data. Karl Pearson's product-moment correlation was used to measure the relationship. Table 1 depicts the relationship between the components of stress and the dimensions of psychological well-being of adolescents. It was observed that stress and its components, including family stress, personal stress, academic stress, social stress and overall stress, had a statistically significant negative relationship with psychological well-being and all its dimensions, such as autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and selfacceptance. Here, the interpretation is described for the relationship between the components of stress and the www.extensionjournal.com psychological well-being to avoid repetition and to explain the association in a broader context.

Results and Discussion

Relationship between family stress and psychological well-being

The dimension "family stress" exhibited a highly significant negative relationship with overall psychological well-being among adolescents (r = -0.887**) at the 0.01 level of probability. This strong inverse relationship indicates that higher levels of family stress was associated with lower psychological well-being in the adolescents. Specifically, the familial distress, such as conflict, instability and lack of emotional support, was linked to a decline in adolescents' mental health and emotional well-being. These findings are aligned closely with the study conducted by Abidin et al. (2022) [1] , which described that adolescents exposed to family-related stressors, such as misunderstandings, chaotic home environments and controlling parenting, experienced a notable decline in emotional well-being. The study further suggested that fostering warmth and adopting an authoritative parenting style can support adolescents' mental health by addressing their emotional needs.

Relationship between personal stress and psychological well-being

The analysis of the "personal stress" revealed a significant negative relationship with the overall psychological wellbeing among adolescents (r = -0.783**) at the 0.01 level of probability. This indicated that as personal stress increased, adolescents' psychological well-being decreased. The adolescents experiencing high levels of internal stress, such as emotional distress, identity struggles, and self-esteem issues were more likely to suffer from anxiety, low mood, and an increased risk of depression and mental health concerns. These findings are supported by a study conducted by Lindholdt et al. (2023) [12] found that personal stress in adolescents was associated with reduced emotional and mental health, making them more vulnerable to clinically diagnosed psychiatric conditions and mental disorders.

Relationship between academic stress and psychological well-being

The dimension "academic stress" displayed a significant negative relationship (r = -790**) with the overall psychological well-being of the respondents at 0.01 level of probability. This indicated that as academic stress increased, there was a corresponding decrease in overall psychological well-being. It means that adolescents with high academic demands and performance pressure had undermined emotional stability, increased frustration, reduced confidence and satisfaction. The present findings were on par with a study conducted by Kristensen et al. (2023) [11] , who found that elevated academic stress was more strongly related to psychological distress. Teenagers felt higher stress from academics in terms of exam anxiety, burnout and dissatisfaction.

Relationship between social stress and psychological well-being

The aspect of "social stress", was found to be significantly and negatively related (r = -0.720**) to the overall psychological well-being of adolescents at 0.01 level of probability. This finding suggested that an increase in social stress was associated with decreased psychological wellbeing among adolescents. The negative relationship implies that adolescents experiencing higher levels of negative social interactions, such as peer pressure, bullying, exclusion or poor peer relationships, were more likely to face social difficulties, which in turn affected their emotional and psychological well-being. The findings were supported by a study conducted by Stea et al. (2024) [17] , who revealed that social pressure was associated with depressive symptoms among male and female adolescents. The adolescents with high social pressure had experienced suicidal thoughts and a tendency to self-harm, which were the result of lower psychological well-being.

Relationship between overall stress and psychological well-being

The correlational analysis revealed that overall stress had a strong and significant negative relationship with overall psychological well-being among adolescents (r = -0.914**) at the 0.01 level of probability. This strong negative correlation indicates that higher levels of overall stress, comprising family stress, personal stress, academic stress, and social stress were significantly associated with lower psychological well-being among adolescents. The accumulation of stress across these multiple life domains appeared to undermine adolescents' emotional balance, selfesteem and overall mental health, thereby reducing the ability to maintain positive functioning and life satisfaction. The findings were consistent with a study conducted by Carvalho et al. (2024) [6] identified teens with higher overall stress reported lower levels of positive indicators like confidence, connections and satisfaction but had higher levels of negative mental health aspects like low mood and regressive thoughts. This study confirmed that an increase in overall stress is linked to a notable decline in psychological well-being.

Conclusion

The study can be concluded that stress had a significant negative relationship with psychological well-being among adolescents. This suggests that adolescents who had higher stress were vulnerable to mental health problems like emotional imbalance, anxiety and depression. This imbalance not only affects daily functioning but also increases mental illness. Therefore, addressing adolescent stress through preventive mental health strategies is essential. Enhancing well-being must be a priority in both educational and familial settings to foster healthier developmental outcomes.

Future scope

This study highlights how critical it is for parents, educators and policy makers to be aware of major stress factors and associated psychological concerns in teenagers. Expanding research across diverse geographic, socio-economic and cultural contexts will further enrich understanding and support the development of targeted, evidence-based strategies for adolescents' mental health promotion.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementThe authors thank the Honourable Vice Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, for his encouragement.

References

1. Abidin FA, Yudiana W, Fadilah SH. Parenting Style and Emotional Well-Being Among Adolescents: The Role of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration. Front Psychol. 2022;13:901646.
2. Aggarwal A, Bakht F, Malhotra S. A study of the relationship between psychological well-being and perceived stress among secondary stage students of Mohali, Punjab. Int J Indian Psychol. 2024;12(4):22438.
3. Al-Amer R, Dwekat E, Ali A, Abuzied Y, Alzahrani NS, Alhowaymel FM, et al. Prevalence of stress and types of coping strategies among adolescents (14-18 years) in collectivist communities. J Pediatr Nurs. 2024;77:290-7.
4. Ansari S, Khan I, Iqbal N. Association of stress and emotional well-being in non-medical college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2025;368:200-23.
5. Azad Y, Kaur H. Academic stress and psychological wellbeing among boys and girls college students. Int J Res Anal Rev. 2024;11(1):510-22.
6. Carvalho M, Branquinho C, Moraes B, Cerqueira A, Tomé G, Noronha C, et al. Positive Youth Development, Mental Stress and Life Satisfaction in Middle School and High School Students in Portugal: Outcomes on Stress, Anxiety and Depression. Children. 2024;11(6):681.
7. Erath SA, Pettit GS. Coping with relationship stress in adolescence: A decade in review. J Res Adolesc. 2021;31(4):1047-67.
8. Florencio CBS, Ramos MFH, Silva SSC. Adolescent perceptions of stress and future expectations. Paideia (Ribeirão Preto). 2017;27(66):60-8.
9. Heizomi H, Allahverdipour H, Hejazi SB, Jafarabadi MA, Shirazi A. Factors associating perceived stress and psychological well-being among Iranian female adolescents. Int J Depression Anxiety. 2018;1(1):003.
10. Hosseinkhani Z, Hassanabadi HR, Parsaeian M, Karimi M, Nedjat S. Academic stress and adolescents' mental health: A multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) study in northwest of Iran. J Res Health Sci. 2020;20(4):e00496.
11. Kristensen SM, Larsen TMB, Urke HB, Danielsen AG. Academic Stress, Academic Self-efficacy, and Psychological Distress: A Moderated Mediation of Within-person Effects. J Youth Adolesc. 2023;52:151229.
12. Lindholdt L, Labriola M, Andersen JH, Kjeldsen MZ, Obel C, Lund T. Perceived stress among adolescents as a marker for future mental disorders: A prospective cohort study. Scand J Public Health. 2022;50(3):412-7.
13. Malik M, Saidin N, Abd Wab R, Nordin N. Investigating the relationship between stress and psychological well-being among foundation students of UiTM. Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci. 2020;10(14):93101.
14. Murray K, Rieger E, Byrne D. The relationship between stress and body satisfaction in female and male adolescents. Stress Health. 2015;31(1):13-23.
15. Ryff CD. Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1989;57(6):1069-81.
16. Scafuto F, Crescentini C, Conversano C, Matiz A, Vincenzo FD, Ghiroldi S, et al. Enhancing Universal Values Through Mindfulness and Psychological WellBeing: A Randomized-Controlled Trial with Adolescents. Child Youth Care Forum. 2025.
17. Stea TH, Bonsaksen T, Smith P, Kleppang AL, Steigen AM, Leonhardant M, et al. Are social pressure, bullying and low social support associated with depressive symptoms, self-harm and self-directed violence among adolescents? A cross-sectional study using a structural equation modeling approach. BMC Psychiatry. 2024;24:239.
18. Windarwati HD, Budiman AA, Nova R, Laras At NA. The relationship between family harmony with stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents. Jurnal Ners. 2020;15(2):185-93.
19. World Health Organization. Adolescent and young adult health. 2021.
20. Zaheer ZOBI A, Khan MA. Perceived stress, resilience and psychological well-being among university students: The role of optimism as a mediator. Asian Soc Stud Appl Res (ASSAR). 2022;3(1):56-67.