ABSTRACT
Stress theories study the relationship between external demands named stressors, bodily processes and coping as the cognitive and behavioural efforts made by people to master, tolerate or reduce external and internal demands and conflicts. The stress model theorists proposed that drug abuse is strongly related to passive strategies of coping such as avoidance and denial of stressful situations. Stress theories indicate that such negative life events are out of the control of children and adolescents, and divorce or the loss of parent has a negative effect on development due to the loss of attachment to the parent. However, significant problems of drug abuse have been seen at the other end of academic performance, among high achieving and gifted students or youth in wealthy, ultra-achievement oriented communities. This chapter also provides an overview for some personality and interpersonal factors associated with initiation of substance abuse of high-achieving students in adolescence.
