NASHVILLE, Tenn. ó Vanderbilt University is leading a national study to learn about the kinds of stress youth face, and will provide an opportunity for teens to participate in a program to improve their coping skills and to avoid depression.
The project, called Teens Achieving Mastery over Stress (TEAMS), provides free evaluations of the teens and pays families a total of $400 for completing all assessments over the course of the study. Teens who are between 13 and 17 years old who have a parent that has had depression are eligible to participate in the study.
All teens experience stress in situations such as school, friendships, dating and getting along with parents ñ which is quite normal and expected. When the distress gets out of hand, however, such feelings can interfere with schoolwork and relationships, and can increase the risk for depression, suicide and alcohol and drug abuse. But adolescence does not have to be a struggle. Teens can learn skills to cope with stress and avoid mood problems.
TEAMS is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and is being conducted by Vanderbilt University in collaboration with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee (BCBST). Nationally, other TEAMS sites are Harvard University School of Medicine in Boston, University of Pittsburgh Medical School and Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore.
TEAMS is directed by Judy Garber, Vanderbilt professor of psychology and an investigator in the John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development at Vanderbilt.
For more information on the TEAMS program, call Dr. Garber at 615-343-4141 or Email her at judy.garber@vanderbilt.edu. Leave your name, phone number and best time to reach you.
Media Contact: Princine Lewis, (615) 322-NEWS princine.l.lewis@vanderbilt.edu