School is a competitive place where people have many duties and responsibilities. This requires coping abilities to manage academic stress efficiently. Objectives a) Determine the general level of stress among high school students; b) identify the students’ main sources of stress; c) identify the students’ main responses to stress; d) determine if students have protections against or risk factors for stress. Materials & Method The stress levels and the main responses to stress of 335 high school students, aged 15–19 years, were surveyed using Nowack’s Stress Profile. Results and Discussion Most of the students reported normal (54%) or lower (39%) stress levels, but women reported significantly higher stress levels than men (p < 0.05). The main sources of stress were examinations, choosing a career path, and family troubles. The students’ main responses to stress were listening to music, talking with someone about the problem, and exercise. Show less

Objectives: Torture survivors suffer psychosocial distress such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Patients with PTSD and depression have increased risk for suicidal behavior. The aim of this study is to identify those torture and war survivors who have suicidal thoughts and describe their psychological profile as assessed in SCL-90-R. The patients of the Swiss Red Cross Centre for Torture Victims receiving psychotherapy were monitored with the SCL-90-R (N=58). Results: Out of 56 patients 32 (57%) declared that they did not suffer under the thought to end their own life (0=not at all), 10 (18%) indicated that they suffered substantially (scale value 3) or extremely (4) while 14 (25%) suffered somehow (1, 2). The endorsement of the suicide ideation correlates highly with all SCL-90-R scales, particularly with the scale Depression and PTSD indicating that the patients with suicide ideation also show considerable psychopathology. The scale Depression explained 40% of the variance of the suicide thoughts item and the scale Anger-hostility added another 5%. Conclusion: Suicide prevention should be an important part of the treatment and care in dealing with war and torture survivors. Show less