A sample of 292 typical Hong Kong 12-14 year old secondary school students responded to questionnaires assessing the sources of their stress, the frequency and effectiveness of the ways they coped with this stress, and their self-esteem. Pressure for academic success was found to be the major source of stress for both boys and girls, and older and younger students. The most frequently utilised coping strategies were problem-focused ones that were often effective. The females were more likely to seek social support. Higher self-esteem was also found to be associated with greater use of problem focused and social support strategies. These findings were discussed in terms of culture and gender differences and implications for stress management.