Examination of Suitability of Developmental Stage and Technique in Stress Management Education for Children and Adolescents

Stress management education for adolescents is used to mitigate psychological stresses that are thought to underlie children's maladaptive behavior and symptoms of physical and mental illnesses. This review was designed to determine stress management techniques that are effective for children with different characteristics, including developmental differences. Therefore, we used the four perspectives of the Generic model, which is positioned as a typical framework of the cognitive-behavioral approach, and holds that the formation and maintenance of mental disorders are caused by interactions between cognitions, behaviors, emotions, and physical characteristics. A literature overview indicated that intervention techniques focusing on the body, emotions, and behaviors have specific effects regardless of the developmental stage. In contrast, techniques focusing on cognition are effective for upper elementary school students. It is necessary for future research to improve the evaluation of target children and adolescents, and specifically manage individual differences within the group.