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Teens are individuals. Just ask them. 鈥淥ne size fits all鈥� can鈥檛 describe their clothing, music or hairstyles, let alone their experiences. So surely a generic stress reduction program wouldn鈥檛 鈥渇it all鈥� either.

鈥淭he life of an African-American child in Chicago is radically different from the life of a white child in Chicago and even of an African-American child in other cities,鈥� says DePaul psychology Professor LaVome Robinson. 鈥淵es, like other kids they worry about their grades or about their social lives, but the biggest thing they worry about is their safety in the midst of potentially explosive situations.鈥�

Robinson and her research partner, Leonard Jason, revisited generic stress reduction methods and designed an intervention program called Success over Stress (S.O.S.) to work for these adolescents, in this place, at this time.

From chaos to calmness

S.O.S. gives at-risk teens skills in reducing stress, anxiety and aggression. The program includes 15 weekly group sessions during which the students learn to identify stress, understand its symptoms and causes, and manage it with a range of strategies.

鈥淲e give them strategies they can put into action鈥攑roblem-solving strategies, relaxation strategies, thought-stopping strategies, and alternative-thinking strategies鈥攕o they can gain some control,鈥� says Robinson. 鈥淏y the end of the sessions, the teens can monitor their stress levels day-to-day, put a strategy in place when they need to, and generally maintain their equilibrium.鈥�

Backed by a five-year grant of nearly $3 million from the National Institutes of Health, about 350 ninth-grade students enrolled in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will participate in S.O.S. over the course of the study.

Intervention impact

The weekly S.O.S. sessions are staffed by professionals with advanced degrees and by DePaul graduate and undergraduate student volunteers. Rigorous before-and-after assessments pinpoint what is听working and what isn鈥檛.

鈥淭hey start with bad attitudes and end up open and attentive,鈥� says Collette Gregory, a group leader who has an MA in psychology from Columbia University, New York. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal for them to be able to identify the sources of stress they can control. By the end of the program, they鈥檙e able to talk about themselves and their feelings, and they鈥檙e happy about that.鈥�

Jane Kemp (BA 鈥�15) agrees. 鈥滻 was surprised at how much the students want to learn the stress management techniques and use them in their daily lives. Each session has a real, positive energy.鈥�

With the positive initial results, Robinson dreams of scaling the S.O.S. program.

鈥淐PS has said to us, 鈥楾his is great!鈥� because the teachers and administrators recognize the relationship between stress management and academic performance,鈥� says Robinson. 鈥淲e鈥檇 love to work with every ninth-grader in Chicago. That鈥檚 our long-term hope.鈥� 鈻�