A universally acceptable definition of stress has so far remained elusive (e.g. McMichael, 1978; Rutter, 1981), though a widely accepted, general definition is that of McGrath (1970), who suggested that stress is “a (perceived) substantial imbalance between demand and response capability, under conditions where failure to meet demand has important (perceived) consequences” (p. 20). In his definition of occupational stress, Kyriacou (1980, p. 3) referred to “the experience... of unpleasant emotions, such as tension, anxiety, anger or depression”.

Evidence of stress among sixth formers and older students (e.g. Dobson, 1980; Dobson & Alban Metcalfe, 1982) is consistent with the suggestion that it is multidimensional in nature, and not exclusively related to examination pressures. The relatively sparse evidence concerning stress in children suggests that life events such as admission to hospital, birth of a sib, or parental divorce, may be associated with subsequent conditions requiring medical or psychiatric treatment (e.g. Rutter, 1981).

The research reported here was concerned with determining sources of perceived stress among 13-year-old boys and girls attending 'normal' schools, and the reliability and validity of an inventory designed to measure such stress.