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Gender differences in emotional responses to interpersonal stress during adolescence

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Guiding model of gender differences in interpersonal stress and emotional distress

The proposed model integrates theory and research on gender differences in relationship processes and theory and research on gender differences in stress exposure and reactivity to delineate several interpersonal mechanisms underlying the emergence of higher levels of anxiety and depression in girls than in boys during adolescence. In particular, the model is predicated on four major hypotheses: (a) Girls are exposed to higher levels of interpersonal stress than boys, particularly during

Gender differences in relationship processes and interpersonal stress

The question of whether girls and boys encounter different experiences within their interpersonal relationships has been addressed from several different perspectives. Theory and research on close relationships and on life stress converge to suggest that girls may be more susceptible than boys to disruptions in their interpersonal worlds, particularly during adolescence. These gender differences are reflected in both the types of challenges that girls and boys experience, as well as in how they

Refining interpersonal stress models of emotional distress

Although some preliminary evidence confirms gender differences in stress exposure and reactivity within an interpersonal context, many issues remain to be addressed regarding how gender differences in stress-related processes influence the emergence of gender differences in emotional distress during adolescence. In this section, several new directions will be proposed to build on prior theory and research. Results from past and ongoing investigations will be presented in support of this

Conclusion

Overall, theory and research support a complex model of the interpersonal mechanisms underlying gender differences in emotional distress during adolescence. Across a variety of research approaches, girls have been found to experience higher levels of interpersonal stress than boys, particularly in their friendships and particularly during adolescence. When confronted with interpersonal stress in the family and peer contexts, girls tend to show more negative emotional responses in the form of

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the students, teachers, and principals of the participating schools for their participation in this study. I also would like to thank Eva Pomerantz and Amanda Rose for their helpful comments, and Melissa Caldwell, Alyssa Clark, Colleen Conley, Alison Dupre, Julie Eisengart, Megan Flynn, Tamara Gathright, Tali Klima, Kathryn Kurlakowsky, Sharon Lambert, and Lori Osborne for their assistance on the projects discussed in this paper. This research was supported by a University

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