Exploring the Gender Difference in Stress Perception and Temperament Amongst Adolescents Belonging to Lower Socio-Economic Background

Abstract

The current study entails the concept of stress defined as when “environmental demands, or internal demands, outlay the adaptive capacity of a person”.  During the lockdown period the most affected  is the population with lower income, the struggles of sustaining life were already scorching, the pandemic followed by lockdown, made the struggles endless,  the economic crunch, familial disputes, leaving of the loved ones, closure of schools and forced employment has burdened the younger ones even more in an age when  an individual undergoes major emotional, physical and psychological change, trauma during such a sensitive period can have a lasting impact on the temperament and overall emotional experience of an individual. Focusing on the same, the objective of this study was to examine and compare the stress perception and emotionality in male and female teenagers. The study entails the use of Perceived stress scale and Emotionality Activity, Sociability and Impulsivity baseline inventory (EASI) for interviewing 100 adolescent girls and boys belonging from lower economic strata to measure the perceived stress and its impact on their emotionality. The results of the study show a positive correlation in Perceived stress and EASI Scores where female participants have overpowered the male counterparts. However, the study shows a path towards a more investigative stance in regard to the topic.