Showing papers on "Stressor published in 2012"
TL;DR: Evidence suggests the efficacy of secondary control coping in successful adaptation to chronic illness in children and adolescents, disengagement coping is associated with poorer adjustment, and findings for primary control coping are mixed.
Abstract: Chronic illnesses and medical conditions present millions of children and adolescents with significant stress that is associated with risk for emotional and behavioral problems and interferes with adherence to treatment regimens. We review research on the role of child and adolescent coping with stress as an important feature of the process of adaptation to illness. Recent findings support a control-based model of coping that includes primary control or active coping (efforts to act on the source of stress or one's emotions), secondary control or accommodative coping (efforts to adapt to the source of stress), and disengagement or passive coping (efforts to avoid or deny the stressor). Evidence suggests the efficacy of secondary control coping in successful adaptation to chronic illness in children and adolescents, disengagement coping is associated with poorer adjustment, and findings for primary control coping are mixed. Avenues for future research are highlighted.
498 citations
TL;DR: A 53-year-old woman who is the sole caregiver for her husband, who has acute myelogenous leukemia and was undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is described.
Abstract: Unlike professional caregivers such as physicians and nurses, informal caregivers, typically family members or friends, provide care to individuals with a variety of conditions including advanced age, dementia, and cancer. This experience is commonly perceived as a chronic stressor, and caregivers often experience negative psychological, behavioral, and physiological effects on their daily lives and health. In this report, we describe the experience of a 53-year-old woman who is the sole caregiver for her husband, who has acute myelogenous leukemia and was undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. During his intense and unpredictable course, the caregiver's burden is complex and complicated by multiple competing priorities. Because caregivers are often faced with multiple concurrent stressful events and extended, unrelenting stress, they may experience negative health effects, mediated in part by immune and autonomic dysregulation. Physicians and their interdisciplinary teams are presented daily with individuals providing such care and have opportunity to intervene. This report describes a case that exemplifies caregiving burden and discusses the importance of identifying caregivers at risk of negative health outcomes and intervening to attenuate the stress associated with the caregiving experience.
489 citations
TL;DR: The most common sources of stress relate to academics (reviews, workload and problems associated with studying, among others) and other sources include clinical sources (such as fear of unknown situations, mistakes with patients or handling of technical equipment).
Abstract: PULIDO-MARTOS M., AUGUSTO-LANDA J.M. & LOPEZ-ZAFRA E. (2011) Sources of stress in nursing students: a systematic review of quantitative studies. International Nursing Review59, 15–25
Aim: This study aimed to identify the main sources of stress for students of nursing and the evolution of the stressors when training in nursing competences.
Background: Levels of stress are higher for health professionals than for other workers. A higher number of stressors with negative health consequences are present, especially among nursing professionals. Stress is a psychosocial factor that influences the academic performance and well-being of this group. The interest in analysing sources of stress in nursing students is due to the influence that their training period may have on their perceptions of stress on their future work.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature on stressors in nursing students. The search comprised all the articles published at the end of 2010.
Results: The most common sources of stress relate to academics (reviews, workload and problems associated with studying, among others). Other sources of stress include clinical sources (such as fear of unknown situations, mistakes with patients or handling of technical equipment). In general, no changes occur at the different years of the student's education.
Conclusion: Comparing studies is difficult because of the differences among them (designs, instruments, number of stressors, etc.). However, our revision gives a current state-of-the-art and includes descriptive information that might be very useful for future research. Furthermore, we offer some recommendations for improving the design of curricula taking into account sources of stress.
398 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that stress triggers social approach behavior, which operates as a potent stress-buffering strategy in humans, thereby providing evidence for the tend-and-befriend hypothesis.
Abstract: Psychosocial stress precipitates a wide spectrum of diseases with major public-health significance. The fight-or-flight response is generally regarded as the prototypic human stress response, both physiologically and behaviorally. Given that having positive social interactions before being exposed to acute stress plays a preeminent role in helping individuals control their stress response, engaging in prosocial behavior in response to stress (tend-and-befriend) might also be a protective pattern. Little is known, however, about the immediate social responses following stress in humans. Here we show that participants who experienced acute social stress, induced by a standardized laboratory stressor, engaged in substantially more prosocial behavior (trust, trustworthiness, and sharing) compared with participants in a control condition, who did not experience socioevaluative threat. These effects were highly specific: Stress did not affect the readiness to exhibit antisocial behavior or to bear nonsocial risks. These results show that stress triggers social approach behavior, which operates as a potent stress-buffering strategy in humans, thereby providing evidence for the tend-and-befriend hypothesis.
315 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that sleep deprivation lowers the psychological threshold for the perception of stress from cognitive demands but does not selectively increase the magnitude of negative affect in response to high-stress performance demands.
Abstract: Stress often co-occurs with inadequate sleep duration, and both are believed to impact mood and emotion. It is not yet known whether inadequate sleep simply increases the intensity of subsequent stress responses or interacts with stressors in more complicated ways. To address this issue, we investigated the effects of one night of total sleep deprivation on subjective stress and mood in response to low-stress and high-stress cognitive testing conditions in healthy adult volunteers in two separate experiments (total N = 53). Sleep was manipulated in a controlled, laboratory setting and stressor intensity was manipulated by changing difficulty of cognitive tasks, time pressure, and feedback about performance. Sleep-deprived participants reported greater subjective stress, anxiety, and anger than rested controls following exposure to the low-stressor condition, but not in response to the high-stressor condition, which elevated negative mood and stress about equally for both sleep conditions. These results suggest that sleep deprivation lowers the psychological threshold for the perception of stress from cognitive demands but does not selectively increase the magnitude of negative affect in response to high-stress performance demands.
302 citations
TL;DR: The results show that stress perception, anxiety and emotional insecurity were significantly higher during the Trier Social Stress Test as compared to post-TSST ratings, and suggest a covariance of the psychological stress response during the TSST and the physiological stress responses for stress perception.
259 citations
TL;DR: Evidence is presented that adverse experience in childhood and adolescence can alter core components of the stress axis, including cortisol and heart rate reactivity, and a long-term impact of stressful life experience on the reactivity of the human stress axis is indicated.
241 citations
TL;DR: Patients suicide is a major stressor, upon which a majority of mental health workers report post-traumatic stress symptoms, and several studies have identified stressors that are unique to the psychiatric profession.
Abstract: As the industrial world has transformed toward a service economy, a particular interest has developed in mental health problems at the workplace. The risk for burnout is significantly increased in certain occupations, notably for health care workers. Beyond the effects of an extensive workload, many working hours, or long night shifts, the medical field has specific stressors. Physicians work in emotionally demanding environments with patients, families, or other medical staff. They must make quick decisions while faced with a quite frequent information overload. All of these stressors have to be weighed against a rapidly changing organizational context within medicine. Today, economics objectives have priority over medical values in health care. In principal, mental health workers should experience similar work stressors and the same contextual factors as health professionals from other medical disciplines. However, several studies have identified stressors that are unique to the psychiatric profession. These challenges range from the stigma of this profession, to particularly demanding relationships with patients and difficult interactions with other mental health professionals as part of multidisciplinary teams to personal threats from violent patients. Other sources of stress are a lack of positive feedback, low pay, and a poor work environment. Finally, patient suicide is a major stressor, upon which a majority of mental health workers report post-traumatic stress symptoms.
195 citations
TL;DR: Stress related to economic hardship, parenting, and poor physical health increases the risk of depression among low-income urban mothers with young children and Instrumental and partner support were found to be potential protective factors in reducing the negative effects of stress.
183 citations
TL;DR: There may be an evolutionary reason for any sex differences in the long term effects of prenatal stress, and in a stressful environment it may be adaptive for females, who are more likely to stay in one place and look after children, to be more vigilant, alert to danger and thus show more stress responsiveness.
182 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the impact of perceived job stress, work-life balance and work life conflict on academic wellbeing and concluded that perceived job threat-type stress made a stronger contribution and was a significant predictor of work life balance and conflict scores.
Abstract: Escalating stress and pressures, along with organisational change in universities has led to the increased importance of research in to the impact of perceived job stress, work-life balance and work-life conflict amongst academics Yet, very few studies have examined academics’ ability to balance work and personal life, and overcome work-life conflict Drawing on Spillover theory (Zedeck, 1992), our study hypothesised that high levels of perceived job pressure stress and job threat stress would predict increased levels of work-life conflict, and decreased levels of work-life balance Due to the well-documented relationship between stress and health, the influence of job stress on wellbeing was also investigated in this sample of academics (N =139) Perceived job stress (threat and pressure-type stressors) was associated with poorer work-life balance, and increased conflict between academics’ work and personal lives Perceived job threat-type stress made a stronger contribution and was a significant predictor of work-life balance and work-life conflict scores, than perceived job pressure-type stress Perceived job threat-type stress among academics was also a significant predictor and associated with poorer wellbeing and increased ill-being, but perceived job pressure-type stress was not related to academics’ wellbeing or ill-being
TL;DR: Young adolescents may benefit from learning positive coping skills to manageorry or stress about common stressors and in particular, worry or stress related to romantic breakups to help reduce emerging psychopathology.
Abstract: Stressful life events are associated with mood disorders in adults in clinical settings. Less described in the literature is the association between common life stressors and a wide range of psychopathology in young adolescents. This study uses a large non-clinical sample of young adolescents to describe the associations among worry or stress about common life events/difficulties, mental health and substance use. Data on lifetime stress or worry about common life events/difficulties (i.e., romantic breakups, family disruption, interpersonal difficulties, and personal stress (health, weight, school work)), symptoms of depression, conduct disorder symptoms, and substance use were collected from 1025 grade 7 students (mean age 12.9 years; 45% male). The association between each source of stress and each mental health and substance use indicator was modeled in separate logistic regression analyses. The proportion of adolescents reporting worry or stress ranged from 7% for new family to 53% for schoolwork. Romantic breakup stress was statistically significantly associated with all the mental health and substance use indicators except illicit drug use. Family disruption was statistically significantly associated with depression symptoms, marijuana use, and cigarette use. Interpersonal difficulties stress was statistically significantly associated with depression symptoms. All sources of personal stress were statistically significantly related to depression symptoms. In addition, health-related stress was inversely related to binge drinking. Young adolescents may benefit from learning positive coping skills to manage worry or stress about common stressors and in particular, worry or stress related to romantic breakups. Appropriate management of mental health symptoms and substance use related to common stressful life events and difficulties may help reduce emerging psychopathology.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assessed the academic stress influences, mental health status and burnout syndrome, with the intent to find different patterns in female and male medical students, and found that this stressor was significantly more frequent in female students (p<0.001).
Abstract: SUMMARY Background: The educational process brings a considerable amount of stress to medical students that can influence mental health status and contribute to further professional burnout. The authors assessed the academic stress influences, mental health status and burnout syndrome, with the intent to find different patterns in female and male medical students. Subjects and methods: The applied cross sectional study was in the form of an anonymous questionnaire which included: sociodemographic data, self-reported health status and influence of studying activities on stress level in 755 medical students who attended two final years. Mental health status was explored by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Results: Female students assessed their physical health status and general stress level as worse compared to males (p<0.001). Exams were described as a high stressor in about 50% of all examined students. However, this stressor was significantly more frequent in female students (p<0.001). Female students frequently declared high stressful effects of contacts with patients (p=0.009) and autopsy (p<0.001). The scores of the GHQ-12 questionnaire were above the threshold or high in 51.5% of all students, and also significantly higher in females (p=0.001). High scores were found among 52.6% of all examined students on MBI subscale of Depersonalization, and 33.6% on MBI subscale of Emotional exhaustion without gender difference. Conclusion: Measures for prevention of academic distress should be targeted at optimization of the educational process, development of the clinical skills and professionalism, with special concern to female students who manifested high vulnerability.
TL;DR: Mediation analyses revealed that neuroticism indirectly worsened performance, through threat appraisals, and that openness indirectly increased positive affect through lower threat, highlighting the importance of investigating multiple aspects of personality on stress responses and providing an avenue through which stress responses can be changed-appraisals.
Abstract: The present research moved beyond focusing on negative dispositions to investigate the influence of positive aspects of personality, namely extraversion and openness, on stress responses including appraisals, affect and task performance. Challenge appraisals occur when stressor demands are deemed commensurate with coping resources, whereas threat appraisals occur when demands are believed to outweigh coping resources. We examined the unique influence of personality on stress responses and the mediating role of appraisals. Personality was assessed, and then participants (N = 152) were exposed to a validated math stressor. We found unique effects on stress responses for neuroticism (high threat and negative affect and low positive affect), extraversion (high positive and low negative affect) and openness (high positive and low negative effect and better performance). Mediation analyses revealed that neuroticism indirectly worsened performance, through threat appraisals, and that openness indirectly increased positive affect through lower threat. These findings highlight the importance of investigating multiple aspects of personality on stress responses and provide an avenue through which stress responses can be changed—appraisals. Only by more broad investigations can interventions be tailored appropriately for different individuals to foster stress resilience. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: Relationship between depressive symptoms, as assessed by the CES-D, and stress-induced inflammation, and proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 6 are evaluated to add to the emerging understanding of the complex interactions among stress, depression, and immune dysregulation.
Abstract: Depression is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality, and immune dysregulation may be partially responsible for this link. Proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) are reliable predictors of quality of life, morbidity, and many causes of mortality. The current study evaluated relationships between depressive symptoms, as assessed by the CES-D, and stress-induced inflammation. The participants, 138 healthy adults, were evaluated at rest, and after a standardized laboratory speech and mental arithmetic stressor. Compared with individuals with fewer depressive symptoms, those with more depressive symptoms produced more IL-6 in response to the stressor, as well as significantly higher levels of IL-6 both 45 min and 2 h after the stressor. These findings add to our emerging understanding of the complex interactions among stress, depression, and immune dysregulation, and provide one potential pathway to explain relationships between depressive symptoms and disease.
TL;DR: The number of parent stressors was directly related to child obesity and parent-perceived stress was directlyrelated to child fast-food consumption, an important behavioral indicator of obesity risk.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To assess associations of the number of parent stressors and parent-perceived stress with obesity and related behaviors in their children. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis used data from the 2006 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey in which 2119 parents/caregivers answered questions about themselves and their children (ages 3–17 years). Survey data were used to assess the main exposure variables: the number of stressors (measured using a stressor index) and parent-perceived stress (the response to a general stress question); child covariates (age, race/ethnicity, health quality, and gender); adult covariates (education, BMI, gender, poor sleep quality) and study outcomes (child obesity, fast-food consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity). To account for developmental differences, analyses were also stratified by age group (3–5, 6–8, 9–12, and 13–17 years). Analyses used multiple logistic regression, with results expressed as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The number of parent stressors was related to child obesity in unadjusted (1.12, 1.03–1.22, P = .007) and adjusted models (1.12, 1.03–1.23, P = .010). Parent-perceived stress was related to fast-food consumption in unadjusted (1.07, 1.03–1.10, P CONCLUSIONS: The number of parent stressors was directly related to child obesity. Parent-perceived stress was directly related to child fast-food consumption, an important behavioral indicator of obesity risk. Clinical care models and future research that address child obesity should explore the potential benefits of addressing parent stressors and parent-perceived stress.
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the impact of perceived job stress, work-life balance and conflict on the ability of academics to balance work and personal life, and overcome work life conflict, and found that perceived job threat-type stress was a significant predictor of poorer wellbeing and increased ill-being.
Abstract: Escalating stress and pressures, along with organisational change in universities has led to the increased importance of research in to the impact of perceived job stress, work-life balance and work-life conflict amongst academics. Yet, very few studies have examined academics’ ability to balance work and personal life, and overcome work-life conflict. Drawing on Spillover theory (Zedeck, 1992), our study hypothesised that high levels of perceived job pressure stress and job threat stress would predict increased levels of work-life conflict, and decreased levels of work-life balance. Due to the well-documented relationship between stress and health, the influence of job stress on wellbeing was also investigated in this sample of academics (N =139). Perceived job stress (threat and pressure-type stressors) was associated with poorer work-life balance, and increased conflict between academics’ work and personal lives. Perceived job threat-type stress made a stronger contribution and was a significant predictor of work-life balance and work-life conflict scores, than perceived job pressure-type stress. Perceived job threattype stress among academics was also a significant predictor and associated with poorer wellbeing and increased ill-being, but perceived job pressure-type stress was not related to academics’ wellbeing or ill-being.
TL;DR: Themes identified from the responses to the open question by both groups included excessive workload, difficult working relationships and unmet clinical learning needs, which could provide a framework for possible interventions for improving the clinical environment for nurses.
Abstract: Aims and objectives. To measure and compare the perceived levels of job-related stress and stressors of newly qualified nurses and fourth-year student nurses in the clinical environment and to explore the participants' views on stress and stressors. Background. Stress in the nursing workplace has significant consequences for the person, the patient and the organisation, such as psychological and physical health deterioration and impaired professional practice. To address this problem, stress and stressors need to be measured and identified. Design. This study used a cross-sectional survey design and self-reporting questionnaires to measure and compare levels of stress in both groups. Convenience sampling involved all newly qualified nurses ( n = 120) and fourth-year student nurses ( n = 128) in Dublin North-East region in Ireland. Methods. The instrument used was 'The Nursing Stress Scale' (Gray-Toft & Anderson 1981, Journal of Behavioral Assessment 3, 11-23). Descriptive, qualitative analysis was conducted on an open-ended question. Data were obtained from newly qualified nurses ( n = 31) and fourth-year student nurses ( n = 40) in six acute hospital sites. Results. Levels of perceived stress and stressors were high in both groups. Themes identified from the responses to the open question by both groups included excessive workload, difficult working relationships and unmet clinical learning needs. Student nurses also reported the combination of academic demands with clinical placement as a major stressor. There was no significant difference between each group. Conclusion. Stress continues to be a problem for nurses in the clinical setting. Excessive workload requires urgent attention by hospital managers in view of widespread retention difficulties. Themes identified could provide a framework for possible interventions for improving the clinical environment for nurses. Relevance to clinical practice. These results can help stakeholders in nurse education and practice to develop interventions to reduce stress for both groups and to ease the transition from student to graduate nurse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Journal of Clinical Nursing is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
TL;DR: Results supported the stress causation theory for episodic stress generation for anxiety disorders, with neuroticism partially accounting for this relationship, and found evidence for interpersonal and noninterpersonal chronic life stress continuation in both depressive and anxiety disorders.
Abstract: The current study compared two competing theories of the stress generation model of depression (stress causation vs stress continuation) using interview-based measures of episodic life stress, as well as interpersonal and noninterpersonal chronic life stress We also expanded on past research by examining anxiety disorders as well as depressive disorders In addition, we examined the role of neuroticism and extraversion in these relationships Participants were 627 adolescents enrolled in a two-site, longitudinal study of risk factors for depressive and anxiety disorders Baseline and follow-up assessments were approximately one year apart Results supported the stress causation theory for episodic stress generation for anxiety disorders, with neuroticism partially accounting for this relationship The stress causation theory was also supported for depression, but only for more moderate to severe stressors; neuroticism partially accounted for this relationship as well Finally, we found evidence for interpersonal and noninterpersonal chronic life stress continuation in both depressive and anxiety disorders The present findings have implications regarding the specificity of the stress generation model to depressive disorders, as well as variables involved in the stress generation process
TL;DR: Both models are unique for uncovering the molecular underpinnings of anxiety-related behaviour without conflicting depression-based alterations.
TL;DR: Findings implicate a differential neuroendocrine response to social stress in children with HFA despite similar sympathetic and parasympathetic responses during a stressor.
TL;DR: Results suggest that perceived discrimination is a salient and impactful stressor for Mexican American adolescents, and the physiological correlates of discrimination can provide insight into larger health disparities among ethnic and racial minority individuals.
TL;DR: These results demonstrate a strong relationship between stress and smoking among urban middle-aged Blacks and suggest that cessation programs should address modifiable individual and community-level stressors.
Abstract: Introduction: Psychosocial stress is a signifi cant risk factor for smoking, and Blacks experience higher levels of psychosocial stress relative to other racial/ethnic groups. Limited research has comprehensively examined psychosocial stressors in relation to smoking among Blacks. Methods: We examined psychosocial stressors in relation to smoking status (current, previous, and never) in middle-aged Blacks (34 - 85 years, n = 592) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a subset of the Midlife in the United States Study II (2004 - 2006). Eleven stressor domains were assessed, including psychological and physical work stress, work - family confl ict, perceived in- equality, relationship stress, neighborhood stress, discrimina- tion, fi nancial stress, recent problems, stressful events, and childhood adversity. We also calculated a cumulative score. Multinomial models were adjusted for age, gender, education, and income. Results: Seven of the 11 stressors and the cumulative score were associated with higher odds of being a current smoker compared with a never-smoker: neighborhood, fi nancial, relation- ship, and psychological work stress, perceived inequality, stressful events, childhood adversity ( p values <.05; OR s ranged from 1.28 to 1.77). Three stressors and the cumulative score were associated with higher odds of being a previous smoker versus a never-smoker ( p < .05). Individuals who scored in the top quartile on 5 or more stressors were 3.74 (95% CI = 2.09 - 6.71) times as likely to be current smokers, and more than twice as likely to be previous smokers, compared with individuals with no high stressors.
TL;DR: Stress controllability and subjective response interact to affect high-level cognitive abilities, and exposure to moderate, controllable stress benefits performance, but exposure to uncontrollable stress or having a more extreme response to stress tends to harm performance.
Abstract: The ability to engage in goal-directed behavior despite exposure to stress is critical to resilience. Questions of how stress can impair or improve behavioral functioning are important in diverse settings, from athletic competitions to academic testing to clinical therapy. Previous research suggests that controllability is a key factor in the impact of stress on behavior: learning how to control stressors buffers people from the negative effects of stress on subsequent cognitively demanding tasks. In addition, research suggests that the impact of stress on cognitive functioning depends on an individual’s response to stressors: moderate responses to stress can lead to improved performance while extreme (high or low) responses can lead to impaired performance. The present studies tested the hypothesis that 1) learning to behaviorally control stressors leads to improved performance on a test of general executive functioning, the color-word Stroop, and that 2) this improvement emerges specifically for people who report moderate (subjective) responses to stress. Experiment 1: Stroop performance, measured before and after a stress manipulation, was compared across groups of undergraduate participants (n=109). People who learned to control a noise stressor and received accurate performance feedback demonstrated reduced Stroop interference compared with people exposed to uncontrollable noise stress and feedback indicating an exaggerated rate of failure. In the group who learned behavioral control, those who reported moderate levels of stress showed the greatest reduction in Stroop interference. In contrast, in the group exposed to uncontrollable events, self-reported stress failed to predict performance. Experiment 2: In a second sample (n=90), we specifically investigated the role of controllability by keeping the rate of failure feedback constant across groups. In the group who learned behavioral control, those who reported moderate levels of stress showed the gre
TL;DR: To what extent childhood stress can be estimated accurately by stressor questionnaires and biological markers (serum, salivary, and hair cortisol) using the Triads (a triangulation) method in 272 elementary school girls is examined.
Abstract: To evaluate the impact of stress on children's well-being, it is important to have valid and reliable stress assessment methods. Nevertheless, selection of an appropriate method for a particular research question may not be straightforward, as there is currently no consensus on a reference method to measure stress in children. This article examined to what extent childhood stress can be estimated accurately by stressor questionnaires (i.e., Coddington life events scale) and biological markers (serum, salivary, and hair cortisol) using the Triads (a triangulation) method in 272 elementary school girls. Salivary cortisol was shown to most accurately indicate true childhood stress for short periods in the past (i.e., last 3 months), whereas hair cortisol may be preferred above salivary measurements for periods more distant and thus for chronic stress assessment. However, applicability should be confirmed in larger and more heterogeneous populations.
TL;DR: In view of permanent escalation of professional stressors, creating a supportive working environment is essential for positive health outcomes, prevention of job-related diseases and better protection of already ill nurses.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify and analyse professional stressors, evaluate the level of stress in nurses in Intensive Care Units (ICU), and assess the correlation between the perception of stress and psychological and somatic symptoms or diseases shown by nurses. The research, designed as a cross-sectional study, was carried out in the Intensive Care Units (ICU), in health centres in Serbia. The sample population encompassed 1000 nurses. Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) was used as the research instrument. ENSS revealed a valid metric characteristic within our sample population. Nurses from ICUs rated situations involving physical and psychological working environments as the most stressful ones, whereas situations related to social working environment were described as less stressful; however, the differences in the perception of stressfulness of these environments were minor. Socio-demographic determinants of the participants (age, marital status and education level) significantly affected the perception of stress at work. Significant differences in the perception of stressfulness of particular stress factors were observed among nurses with respect to psychological and somatic symptoms (such as headache, insomnia, fatigue, despair, lower back pain, mood swings etc.) and certain diseases (such as hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes mellitus etc). In view of permanent escalation of professional stressors, creating a supportive working environment is essential for positive health outcomes, prevention of job-related diseases and better protection of already ill nurses.
TL;DR: This paper explored whether EI moderated the relationship between a range of stressors (family dysfunction; negative life events; and socioeconomic adversity) and self-reported mental health (depression and disruptive behaviour symptomatology) in a sample of 405 adolescents (mean age 13.09 years).
TL;DR: Results demonstrated the Trier Social Stress Test-Child version to be a benign stressor for children with autism, and the relationship between verbal ability, stress, and anxiety was documented.
Abstract: The aims of this study were to evaluate the physiological stress and anxiety responses in children with autism following completion of a standardized, social-evaluative stressor (Trier Social Stress Test-Child version), document the relationship between verbal ability, stress, and anxiety, and determine the association between stress and anxiety in children with autism and typical development. Results demonstrated the Trier Social Stress Test-Child version to be a benign stressor for children with autism. Lower verbal ability in children with autism did not predict salivary cortisol or anxiety responses. There was a lack of association between stress and anxiety for both groups, highlighting the importance of considering these terms as separate constructs. Clinical implications and the limited utility of the Trier Social Stress Test-Child version in evaluating psychosocial stress in autism are discussed.
TL;DR: Cultural differences in the type and frequency of support provided as well as the motivations underlying these behaviors were examined, with social support provision motivated by the goal of closeness and increasing recipient self-esteem among European Americans but only associated with the motive for closeness among Japanese.
Abstract: The present research examined cultural differences in the type and frequency of support provided as well as the motivations underlying these behaviors. Study 1, an open-ended survey, asked participants about their social interactions in the past 24 hours and found that European Americans reported providing emotion-focused support more frequently than problem-focused support, whereas Japanese exhibited the opposite pattern. Study 2, a closed-ended questionnaire study, found that, in response to the close other’s big stressor, European Americans provided more emotion-focused support whereas Japanese provided equivalent amounts of emotion-focused and problem-focused support. In addition, Study 2 examined motivational explanations for these differences. Social support provision was motivated by the goal of closeness and increasing recipient self-esteem among European Americans, but only associated with the motive for closeness among Japanese. These studies illustrate the importance of considering cultural con...
TL;DR: The first wholly empirical development of a new “Stress Overload Scale” is described, which demonstrated criterion validity in predicting who would become sick following a common stressor.
Abstract: The link between stress and health has not received strong empirical support, possibly due to problems in the stress measures used. Here, the first wholly empirical development of a new “Stress Overload Scale” is described. A pool of 150 items was formed to reflect “overload”, a common denominator in stress theories. Then, the results of five sequenced studies, conducted in heterogeneous community samples, were used to pare the item pool. Exploratory (n = 431) and confirmatory (n = 433) analyses revealed two factors (Event Load and Personal Vulnerability) corresponding to theoretical constructs; only the best factor markers were submitted to further construct validity (n = 310) and reliability tests (n = 342). The 24 strongest items were selected for the SOS, which demonstrated criterion validity in predicting who (n = 285) would become sick following a common stressor. The SOS is (1) psychometrically strong, especially in its validity relative to popular measures; (2) appropriate to community research, due to its brevity and fit to a broad demographic spectrum; (3) unique in its ability to cross-section individuals into risk categories. It should prove useful to community psychologists in determining etiology, diagnosing risk for pathology, and evaluating the efficacy of interventions.