Stress Management Methods in Children and Adolescents - Past, Present, and Future

Background: Stress is a natural automatic reaction of organisms to challenging or threatening stimuli. Prevalence rates reveal an increasing number of students both in elementary and secondary education suffering from anxiety and stress-related disorders and illnesses. Literature shows a plethora of stress management techniques being used with children and adults to achieve stress reduction and inner peace. This review primarily aims in summarizing evidence-based relaxation techniques in use by minors in the present, contrasting them with data from the past, and directions for the future. Summary: Literature research revealed a plethora of stress management techniques, including breathing practices or breathing exercises, meditation, guided imaginary, clinical hypnosis, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), behavioral therapy, third wave therapies, interpersonal therapies, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), autogenic training, biofeedback training, and mindfulness that are deemed effective to treat stress and a variety of stress-related disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), headaches, abdominal pain, perioperative anxiety and postoperative pain, cancer, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). These evidence-based stress management techniques have are employed successfully in various settings such as schools, waiting rooms, dental offices and inpatient settings. Key Messages: Stress management techniques used by children and adolescents are important to reduce anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms, improve social skills, reduce stress-related physical pain, and achieve academic improvement across settings and diagnoses.