This research was intended to investigate and compare stress and stress coping of the high school students in Changwat Songkhla. The studied variables included gender, study programs, academic achievement, accommodation, and marital status of the students' parents. The samples under this study consisted of 450 high school students selected by purposive sampling. The new Thai Mental Health Indicator (TMHI-54) developed by Dr. Apichai Mongkol, deputy chief of the Mental Health Department, et al. was used to collect data about students' stress and stress coping. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for TMHI-54 was 0.984. Data were analyzed using frequencies, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, ANOVA, and Tukey's test for multiple comparisons.
The findings were as follows:
1. High school students in Changwat Songkhla showed similar stresses at a medium level and had proper responses to their stresses. When confronted with family problems, most of the students consulted their family members. To deal with learning problems or conflicts with friends or girl/boyfriends, they normally asked for their friends' advice. Stress coping strategies widely used among students were listening to music / playing on the musical instruments, going out / relaxing, and exercising / doing sports chosen upon their interests.
2. 126 students or 28.0%, 202 students or 44.9%, and 122 students or 27.1% reported their high, medium, and low stress levels, respectively. Both male and female students had similar stresses at a medium level and no difference in their stress.
3. High school students in science-mathematics program, English-French program, and Thai-social studies program showed a medium stress level while those in language-mathematics program revealed a relatively low stress level and no difference in their stress.
4. Students with learning achievement between1.00-3.00 had a higher stress than those with learning achievement between 3.01-4.00 at .01 level of significance.
5. Students living in their own houses showed a medium stress level while those staying with their relatives or in rented houses revealed a low stress level and no difference in their stress.
6. Students whose parents live together, temporarily separated, divorced, or died similarly experienced the medium level of stress and no difference in their stress.
Key words: Stress, Stress Coping