Stress, coping and emotional and behavioral problems among German high school students

This research tests a mediator-model of stress, coping and emotional/behavioral problems. The sample comprises 350 adolescents in the penultimate year of high school. Higher levels of overall stress as well as those related to school and future, the most problematic domains, were associated with more emotional/behavioral problems. The association was partially mediated through withdrawal. The proportion of the indirect effect was higher in the school-specific compared to the future-related or overall model. Future research on successful transitions from school should focus on stress, particularly with school and future, and pay attention to specifics of withdrawal in each context.