Preventive Measures for Stress Coping and Management

Preventive Measures for Stress Coping and Management

Introduction

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), stress can range from short-lived to long lasting. APA identifies persistent or extended stress as a health risk as it interferes with one's ability to perform everyday tasks. Stress also has serious implications for physical health (American Psychological Association).

Stress studies in humans began to develop with the works of Holmes and Rahe as early as 1976. Their “checklist” of prominent life changes acted as a catalyst, increasing the literature on the topic. These new publications underlined the negative implications on human psychology and physiology as stress victims. 70's onwards, more ways to measure stress surfaced and stress theory started to evolve - incorporating factors that mitigate or impede stress levels.

Discussion

Stress & Stressors

Stress and stressors are interchangeable and describe any social and/or environmental demands that necessitate the need to readjust behavioral patterns. In some studies of psychology, however, stressors are the agents and stress is the reaction. Consequently, “stress reaction” refers to a state that causes psychological arousal, which may or may not be, a product of emotions or emotional reactions. As stress accumulates, individuals find their ability to cope with stressors dwindling, often causing this over capacity to deplete both psychical and psychological resources. It is only logical to consider the increased probability of Illness or psychological strain that follows.

Types of Stressors

Literature on stress and its management identifies three key types of stressors. These include life events, chronic or prolonged strains and daily hassles (Thoits, 1995). Life events refer to acute and/or highly demanding changes that require major behavioral readjustments. These events also allow only a short period of time during which these behavioral changes must occur. Instances of these can include emotionally demanding situations such as divorce, death of a loved one, and so on. Chronic or prolonged strains, as the name suggests, occur over a long period of time, often due to a persistent psychologically demanding situation such as marital problems or permanent disability. Hassles, on the other hand, require temporary readjustment in terms of behavioral attitudes. Instances of hassles can include stress from traffic jams and other daily occurrences that might prove to be a nuisance, leading to mild stress.

Implications of Stress

“Overtaxing” or “overcapacity” transpires when individuals are dealing with negative life events or chronic strains, which may or may not lead to negative life events (for instance, martial conflict may lead to divorce later in life). There are substantial implications of stress on the physical and psychological health of individuals. According to Brown and Harris' study (1978), only negative life changes are considered to “overtax” an individual's inherent ability to cope with emotional strains. Individuals facing chronic strains or life changes are at a high risk of emotional disorder and instability. Major psychiatric issues such as depression and anxiety also arise due to sudden negative life changes or chronic strain that the individual is not mentally equipped to cope with.

Link between Stressors

Life events and chronic strains may have causality, ...