Showing papers on "Stressor published in 1991"

Dynamic role of social support in the link between chronic stress and psychological distress.

Abstract: How a chronic environmental stressor can interfere with the buffering effects of social support by eroding social support was analyzed in this prospective, longitudinal study. A classic buffering effect of support was found after 2 months of exposure to the stressor, household crowding. Crowded residents with low perceived support had greater increases in psychological distress than did crowded residents with high perceived support. However, after 8 months exposure the buffering effect disappeared. Moreover, greater crowding had become directly associated with lower support, which in turn was associated with greater increases in psychological distress. All analyses controlled for prior distress. Under some types of chronic stress, the buffering effects of social support may be short-lived because the stressor eventually erodes social support.

Diagnostic issues in posttraumatic stress disorder: considerations for the DSM-IV.

Abstract: Four issues of key interest with regard to posttraumatic stress disorder in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) are discussed. These include: (a) how to define the stressor criterion, especially, whether or not the victim's response ought to be included and whether low-magnitude traumas qualify etiologically; (b) the cohesiveness of the syndrome and the validity of items across stressor groups; (c) the position of posttraumatic stress disorder within DSM-IV; and (d) comorbidity with other illnesses.

Cardiovascular response to stress

Abstract: The behavioral characteristics of psychological stressors have been operationally defined. A psychological stressor is one that causes a stress response in a predictable percentage of index subjects. However, it may not always produce a stress response, and the probability of producing such a response depends on interactions between the behavioral situation and the individual involved. Thus there is a danger that a psychological stressor will be defined according to the stress response it causes rather than its structural characteristics. The characteristics that enhance the likelihood that a psychological stressor will cause a stress response are its novel, challenging, or threatening aspects that engage a subject in continuous active mental effort. The intensity of the stress response depends on the intensity of mental effort exerted to meet a challenging situation, whether or not that situation is perceived as threatening. The behavioral response to a psychological stressor also has been defined. It includes somatomotor, neuroendocrine, and cardiovascular components. The somatomotor response to stressful psychological events includes purposeful active coping to counter the challenge or threat posed by the stressor. The neuroendocrine response includes a combination of pituitary-adrenal cortical and hypothalamic-sympathetic-adrenal medullary secretions. The cardiovascular response includes a combination of increased rate and force of cardiac contraction, skeletal muscle vasodilation, venoconstriction, splanchnic vasoconstriction, renal vasoconstriction, and decreased renal excretion of sodium. Of all the modifiers that influence the stress response to a psychological stressor, family history is the one most likely to have an effect. A family history of essential hypertension increases the likelihood that a subject will respond to a psychological stressor with a cardiovascular stress response pattern. Other predisposing characteristics that increase the likelihood of a stress response include behavioral patterns of response to challenge or threat but may also include anatomic or biochemical characteristics that increase susceptibility to neurogenic activation of central aminergic mechanisms.

Gender's Role in Responses to Infertility:

Abstract: Infertility is a major life stressor that affects approximately 10% of U.S. married couples. Infertile women and men have reported experiencing depression, helplessness, and marital strain. Given U...

Predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder following physical trauma: an examination of the stressor criterion.

Abstract: A prospective study documenting psychopathology was undertaken in 48 subjects exposed to a range of physical trauma, but whose injuries were of similar severity. No support was found for the DSM-III-R view correlating the severity of the stressor with the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Distress post injury (high scores on the impact of event scale), indicative of difficulty with cognitive assimilation of the traumatic event, was found to be highly predictive of psychiatric morbidity and PTSD at 6 months.

The neonatal intensive care unit environment: sources of stress for parents.

Abstract: Many aspects of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are stressful to parents, including prolonged hospitalization, alterations in parenting, exposure to a technical environment, and the appearance of their small, fragile infant To identify potential NICU stressors for parents, levels of stress these experiences engender, and their relationship to anxiety, parents of infants hospitalized in three NICUs were interviewed using the Parental Stressor Scale: NICU and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Alterations in parental role caused by the infant's illness generated the greatest stress The second highest areas of stress were the infant's appearance and behavior State anxiety levels were higher than normative means and significantly related to stress scores

Research on stress and smoking: progress and problems.

Abstract: Despite evidence that smoking behaviour increases in the context of stress, there has yet to be a clear-cut demonstration that nicotine intake is similarly enhanced. Although nicotine intake has been shown to reduce reported anxiety in the context of stress, the controlling conditions (type of stressor, intensity, temporal relationships, etc.) need further exploration. Recent findings involving nicotine's effects on the hypophyseal-adrenal axis provide a new perspective on these issues, in that increased nicotine intake during exposure to a stressor may represent, at least in part, behavioral compensation for diminished sensitivity to nicotine brought about by nicotine-stimulated corticosteroid release. Corticosteroids may decrease central nervous system excitability in a way that could account for anxiety reduction; on the other hand, anxiety reduction may be an epiphenomenon with respect to the reinforcement of smoking behaviour. The integration of behavioural, physiological, and biochemical research exemplified by the above approach should lead to a better understanding of stress and smoking.

Patterns of appraisal and coping across different stressor conditions among former prisoners of war with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.

Abstract: Little is known about how survivors of extreme events cope with traumatic memories and subsequent negative life experiences. The present study compared (a) repatriated prisoners of war (RPWs) from World War II (WW II) with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (b) RPWs without PTSD, and (c) noncombat veterans on measures of general psychological functioning, appraisal, and coping. Appraisal and coping were assessed under 2 stressor conditions: memories of war/captivity and recent negative life events. RPWs with PTSD reported poorer general psychological functioning; significantly less control over memories of WW II: and more frequent use of self-isolation, wishful thinking, self-blame, and social support in an effort to cope with these memories than did the 2 comparison groups. Fewer between-groups differences were found for the recent stressor condition. Findings are discussed in terms of factors that may explain the perseverance of coping difficulties associated with PTSD.

Stressful life events and symptom onset in HIV infection.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE The authors' goal is to provide basic epidemiologic data on the issue of reactivity to stress and HIV symptom onset by studying the relationship between a broad set of naturally occurring stressor events and HIV natural history in a large longitudinal community sample of HIV-seropositive homosexual men. METHOD Subjects were recruited from a cohort of 1,011 homosexual men enrolled in the Chicago site of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study who also participated in the Coping and Change Study. The men were given self-administered questionnaires assessing behavioral, psychological, and psychosocial variables. Relationships between reports of stressful life events and longitudinal biomedical data measuring illness progression were examined. Life events were assessed by reports on the numbers of lovers, friends, and acquaintances who were diagnosed with AIDS or had died of AIDS and by scores on a checklist of 24 more general serious stressor events. The variables indicating progression of illness among initially asymptomatic men were a drop in T-helper lymphocyte percent (CD4%) between pairs of examinations of at least 25% and onset between examinations of thrush and/or fever lasting a minimum of 2 weeks. RESULTS The authors found no evidence that serious stressor events have any meaningful effect on symptom onset indicated by either a drop in CD4% or onset of fever or thrush. CONCLUSIONS There is no need for asymptomatic people with HIV infection to restrict their lives in order to avoid exposure to stressful life experiences or to develop special skills for coping with stress to forestall the progression of HIV illness.

Suicide, stressors, and the life cycle.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Relationships between stressors and suicide might be expected to vary with stages of the life cycle. The purpose of this study was to examine this possibility. METHOD: The authors examined the first 204 consecutive cases from the San Diego Suicide Study, a federally funded investigation of 283 suicides, for possible relationships between suicide and age and the frequency of specific stressors. Information was gathered from family members, spouses, acquaintances, employers, other witnesses, physicians, and other professionals by trained interviewers using a structured format. Hospital, physician, therapist, school, and police records were also included when available. DSM-III diagnoses were made by consensus of two investigators. Life events information was also reviewed independently by the investigators to determine stressors (if any) for each case. RESULTS: Of the 202 subjects for whom data were available, 195 (97%) had one or more stressors; 137 male subjects had a total of 272 stressors, and 58 female subjects had a total of 115 stressors. The authors found predictable patterns of the three most common stressor groups--conflict-separation-rejection, economic problems, and medical illness. The majority of the stressors among subjects 80 years old or older were illnesses. The only significant difference between the sexes was that more men than women had economic problems as a stressor. CONCLUSIONS: The variations in the patterns of stressors found in this study of suicides coincide with adult development theory. The lack of population comparison subjects and stressor scoring validation, however, limits the predictive value of these data in assessing suicidal persons. Language: en

Does the gender relevance of the stressor influence sex differences in psychophysiological responses

Abstract: Sex differences in psychophysiological responses to stress may be important to understanding sex differences in risk for coronary heart disease. This investigation tested the hypothesis that the gender relevance of the stressor influences the extent of sex differences in cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and lipid responses during stress. Participants performed two tasks that were described as masculine oriented, feminine oriented, or not gender relevant. Although these descriptions influenced the participants' perceptions of the tasks, they did not influence the extent of sex differences in physiological responses in a manner consistent with the study hypothesis. Future directions for research are discussed regarding sex differences in psychophysiological responses.

Coping with work stress: The influence of individual differences.

Abstract: Stress is in part the result of a lack of fit between individuals and their environment. In particular, the impact of prepromotion stress management training on coping with managerial stressors could be analyzed while controlling for individual differences. The questionnaire included scales to measure work stressors, coping activities, and Type A behavior. Gender, job tenure, and managerial experience were assessed with single items. A wide range of work stressor scores were obtained with median scores equivalent to the means. An approximately normal distribution for Type A behaviors was obtained, but the reliability of the Type A behavior scale was unsatisfactory and therefore any Type A influences will be attenuated. Type A behavior was found to be associated with positive thinking activities. The males in the sample had greater managerial experience, but there was no relationship between gender and coping activities.

Social hassles and psychological health in the context of chronic crowding.

Abstract: Data are presented on the interactive effects of an enduring environmental stressor with acute, daily social stressors on psychological distress. A cross-sectional study of males in urban India and a longitudinal study of male and female American college students examined the interplay of these two types of stressors. In India, social hassles in the home predicted psychological symptoms only among residents of crowded homes, after statistically adjusting for income. In America, the interaction between social hassles and crowding was replicated in analyses adjusting for prior psychological symptoms, prior social acquaintanceship with housemates, and income. A six-month follow-up study with the American sample replicated the interaction. In all three analyses of the social hassle-crowding interaction, there was a main effect of crowding but no main effect of social hassles on psychological symptoms. These findings suggest that some chronic environmental stressors may increase the impact of acute social stressors, and highlight the importance of examining contextual factors in the stress and health process.

Sources and magnitude of job stress among physicians.

Abstract: Research has suggested that physicians' jobs are more stressful than many other types of work, but sources of job stress for physicians have rarely been measured systematically. Interview data from 204 young physicians (57 women, 147 men) were used to construct four scales of sources of job stress: patient relationships, business/financial issues, time pressures, and competence concerns. The latter is a stronger source of stress for doctors in early practice. Sources and intensity of job stressors do not vary significantly by gender, but medical practice problems are more stressful in nonprofit than in for-profit practices. Early-career doctors appeared to experience only moderate levels of stress, and stressors were not related to impaired mental health.

Coping with stress in families with children who have mental retardation : an evaluation of the double ABCX model

Abstract: The Double ABCX model of family stress and coping was evaluated using path analysis to determine the causal ordering of variables in 86 families raising children with mental retardation The families' use of resources (B) and their perception of the stressor event (C) were examined to determine their relation to the stressor (A) and the stress experiences (X) The causal ordering of the model suggested an ACBX relation rather than an ABCX relation Results were discussed in terms of the consistency of these findings with two models of clinical intervention

Teacher Stress: Issues and Intervention.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to consider the stress within the teacher's environment and examine methods of assisting public school teachers with managing stress. Participants in the study were 124 female public school teachers of grades K-12 from the public school systems of two central Georgia counties. Three weeks after completing a set of pretest questionnaires, each teacher participated in one of two three-hour training sessions. In the individualized training method, participants were led through a step-by-step development of an individualized plan for more effectively managing the stressor they had identified at the beginning of the training session. By the end of the session, each participant had her own plan for working on her own major stress. In the global approach training method, information about stress was presented to the participants in a lecture fashion with the focus being on general knowledge with no attempt being made to direct the participants in the development of individualized plans. Approximately three weeks after the training session, all participants were sent a set of questions concerning their activities in stress management since the training. The results of the study provided data concerning types of stresses experienced, sources of stress at work and home, effects of stress and burnout, and relative effectiveness of the two training approaches in terms of degree of relief, variety and type of methods utilized, and degree of involvement. The results indicate that the teachers who received the individual training method did significantly increase the time they spend on managing stress.

Sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity: effects of the gender relevance of the stressor.

Abstract: Suggests that sex differences in cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) in past research are a function of differences in cognitive appraisal of stressors as masculine or feminine tasks. In the present study, we examined the role of the gender relevance of the stressor as a mediator of sex differences in CVR. The CVR of male and female college students (n = 95) to the cold pressor test (CPT) was compared under masculine and gender-neutral instructions during an anticipation phase, a stressor phase, and a recovery phase. Men were expected to show greater CVR than women to the masculine CPT but not to the gender-neutral CPT. Results supported this prediction for systolic blood pressure reactivity and heart rate reactivity but not for diastolic blood pressure reactivity. The potential influence of sex differences in appraisal of situations on CVR and coronary heart disease is discussed.

Coping with Cancer in Remission: Stressors and Strategies Reported by Children and Adolescents

Abstract: Thirty-nine school-age children and adolescents with cancer in remission completed the Children's Stress Inventory (CSI) and a cancer-related stress and coping measure (McCabe & Weisz, 1988) that elicited information about their life stressors and coping strategies. Children identified a range of stressors including general life and cancer-related stress, but general life stressors accounted for the majority of their perceived stress. Children were not consistent across cancer-related and non-cancer-related stressful situations, except for their use of intrapsychic coping strategies. Compared with school-age children, adolescents used more emotion-management and less problem-solving coping strategies when faced with cancer-related stressors, but not when dealing with non-cancer-related stress. When coping with cancer-related stress, females used more emotion-management and less problem-solving strategies than males. Findings have implications for refinement of measures and future research.

Stress, Social Support, and Negative Interaction in Later Life:

Abstract: The aim of this research is to examine the impact of stress on supportive social relationships in later life. Although a number of researchers propose that exposure to life stress increases the amount of assistance provided by significant others, findings from studies with older adults are equivocal. Three potential explanations for these contradictory findings are examined. The results, which are based on a nationwide survey of older people, reveal that the relationship between stress and social support is contingent upon the nature of the stressor as well as the source of support. It was further predicted that negative interaction would play an important role in this process, but consistent findings failed to emerge from the data. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

Child behaviours as stressors: replicating and extending the use of the CARS as a measure of stress: a research note.

Abstract: – Autistic children represent a source of stress for their parents, but the most appropriate way to measure this stress is not clear. Two studies in the literature compared parents’and professionals’ratings of symptom severity, and had parents rate the stressfulness of each symptom. The present study sought to replicate past research, and to extend it by validating this method of measuring parental stress compared to more traditional measures. Results indicated that mothers, fathers, and professionals agreed on the severity of child behaviours. Mothers found these behaviours significantly more stressful than fathers. The stress related to specific child behaviours was significantly correlated with more general measures of parental stress.

A validation study of the OSI on a blue-collar sample.

Abstract: The Occupational Stress Indicator is a diagnostic research tool which assesses seven different aspects of the stress—strain relationship. On the outcome or strain side, it measures job satisfaction, mental health and physical health. On the stressor or independent variable side of the equation, it assesses sources of job stress, type A behaviour, locus of control and coping styles. It has been previously validated for white-collar and professional groups and this article describes its validation for a blue-collar sample.

Stressors and rewards of being an AIDS emotional-support volunteer: A scale for use by care-givers for people with AIDS

Abstract: This study describes scales which can be used to identify the levels of stress and reward associated with being a AIDS emotional-support volunteer. Four categories of stressors were identified. These were ‘emotional overload’, ‘client problems’, ‘lack of support’ and ‘lack of training’. The reward categories were ‘personal effectiveness’, ‘emotional support’, ‘social support’ and ‘empathy/self-knowing’. There were low, but positive correlations between these stressor scales and other measures of psychological morbidity, the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Levels of stress and reward were positively correlated and, taken together, the scales may be of use as a measure of the degree of involvement of volunteers in the AIDS care-giving process. Although these scales were derived from items provided from AIDS emotional-support volunteers many of the items may also be relevant to other health workers providing care for people with AIDS.

Stressors experienced by family caregivers of children with pervasive developmental disorders.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived stressors experienced by parents who care for children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders. The relationship between demographics and overall stress was also examined. The most frequently cited stressor was difficulty arranging for and collaborating with professional and support services. Problems associated with the child's emotional and mental state were viewed as the most stressful of all. No demographic variables showed a significant relationship to degree of overall stress.

Gender Differences Over Time in Medical School Stressors, Anxiety, and the Sense of Coherence

Abstract: Gender differences in the perception of medical school stressors, trait anxiety, and the sense of coherence were investigated in a longitudinal study in an Israeli medical school. The overall stressor score increased for both sexes from orientation to the second year of studies. The increase in the stressor score among women was due primarily to their increasing concern about professional status issues; for men, the academic demands factor contributed most to their increased overall stressor score. Trait anxiety increased and the sense of coherence decreased over time for both sexes. The gender difference in anxiety was significant in the first two stages, but disappeared in the third stage, indicating that although men had lower scores at all stages, their scores increased relatively more than women's over time. The findings suggest that the stressors of medical education have a negative effect on two personality resources needed to deal with life's demands.