Students' Stress, Distress, and Achievement in an Urban Intermediate School

Abstract

This study examined relationships between in-school stressor and support events, locus of control distress, and achievement for a sample of 90 eighth-grade students in an inner-city school Events classified as General School Disrupters were rated by students as occurring most frequently, but appraised as least upsetting, whereas assaults and academic troubles were experienced less frequently, but appraised as more upsetting. Frequency of stressor events was correlated with external locus of control self-reported distress, and lower grade point average. Stressor appraisal and locus of control, but not support, mediated the influence of stressor frequency on distress & Girls appraised stressor events as more upsetting than did boys and received higher grades than boys, despite having comparable reading scores and the same locus of control as boys. Further research is recommended particularly to explore gender differences further and to clarify the functions of student appraisal of stressor events in different school environments.