Various Causes Associated with Stress: by Measuring Various Demographic Factors - Research Paper Example

Cappell, C. Et al. (2001). The Quality of life in the Chicago Collar Counties: work, family, and well-being. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Midwest Sociological Society, St. Louis: April 6, 2001. Retrieved from http://www.socqrl.niu.edu/collarcounty/ mss%20paper%20Analysis%20of%20Stress.pdf. The research study presented focuses on levels of stress brought about by living in a modern society. The implication is that living in the suburbs does not insulate an individual or family from being affected by stress. Residents in counties surrounding the metropolitan Chicago area are evaluated, by investigating the various causes associated with stress. “Even as modern suburban living offers an environment conducive to family lifestyle: ample living space, good schools, and relative safety, the suburban lifestyle is accompanied by substantial amounts of stress” (Cappell, Et al, 2001). The study investigates levels of stress for over 500 residents living in suburbs of Chicago, by measuring various demographic factors, such as gender, age, age of children, employment, number of hours worked each week, amount of time spent caring for the home, amount of time spent caring for children and number of hours of sleep each night. Levels of stress are measured by the number of stress related symptoms survey respondents report, for each factor. Overall, married males with families, living in the suburbs, who work reasonable hours and contribute little to household chores experience lower levels of stress, according to Cappell, et al (2001). Brown, D. & James, G. (2000). Physiological stress responses in Filipino-American immigrant nurses: The effects of residence time, lifestyle and job strain. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62: 294-400. Retrieved from http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/Physiological_Stress_Responses_in_Filipino-American_Immigrant_Nurses.pdf. The study investigates blood pressure levels among immigrants to Hawaii, of Filipino origin. Blood pressure is assumed to be a predictor of physiological stress. Respondents in the study are nurses and nurse aids, who are Filipino immigrants. The use of blood pressure as a stress response shows a pattern that the authors believe cannot be accounted for, by physical demands of work. Results indicate that respondents who have lived and worked in the United States longer, have higher average blood pressures, than those who have been in the country a shorter period of time. “Women who resided in the United States longer had significantly smaller dips in their blood pressure during sleep” (Brown & James, 2000). Blood pressure normally dips during sleep. The assumption is that those with smaller dips in blood pressure are suffering from a higher level of stress. Respondents were also given questionnaires to measure their perceived lifestyle, compared to both Filipino and American lifestyle, using a scale. Respondents rated themselves as generally having a lower perceived American lifestyle. The implication for results of this research, is that acculturation brings about higher levels of physiological stress response. Steckel, R. (2005). Young adult mortality following severe physiological stress in childhood: Skeletal evidence. Economics and Human Biology, 3: 314-28. Retrieved from http://web.econ.ohio-state.edu/rsteckel/VITA/2005%20Young%20Adult%20Mortality.pdf The author uses skeletal remains to suggest a link between childhood physiological stress and adult heath. The research conducted is an investigation of skeletal findings presented by groups of anthropologists. Steckel bases his research on previous studies that link childhood health to adult success and growth (stature) to adult wellness. Femur length is a proven method among anthropologists, for determining stature. “In a large collaborative study that investigated skeletal health over the past several thousand years, these included three indictors of health during childhood (stature, linear enamel defects, and skeletal signs of anemia)” (Steckel, 2005).. Stature is also included as an important measure of childhood health. By looking at the survival rates of both men and women, using various bone measurement and analysis techniques, Steckel has concluded that females are more likely to survive than males and that diet, work patterns, disease and violence all play a role in physiological stress during childhood. In other words, environment can greatly influence a child’s growth and subsequent adult health. Therefore, childhood stresses that can be influenced or modified, have the potential to affect the outcome of adult health. The study is useful in considering how the stress of growing up in poverty can affect children, when they become adults and the levels of physical arousal that are required to bring about poor health. Brown, J. & Stickford, J. (2007). Physiological stress associated with structural fire fighting observed in professional fire fighters. Indiana University. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~firefit/pdf/Final%20Report.pdf. The authors investigate the physiological effects of firefighting. While it cannot be argued that the occupation is stressful, much of the physical stress on the body comes from additional circumstances of working in or near fires. The authors fitted fire fighters from 2 Lincoln, Nebraska fire companies, with vests that measure heart rates. The fire fighters wore vests while on and off duty, for a period of 48 hours. The results indicate that heart rates remain elevated while at rest, for many of the respondents. “A more telling fact is that an esti-mated 765 on-duty firefighters experienced heart attacks in 2005 (43); only 62 (8.1%) of which resulted in sudden death” (Brown & Stickford, 2007). While the stress of responding to a fire leads to increased heart rate, the authors suggest that elements such as low concentration of available oxygen, mild dehydration and exposure to severe heat are contributing factors to stress on the cardiovascular system. The study is unique in that it measures physiological responses of fire fighters in real work situations, rather than in simulations, as past research has done. Desjardins, S. (2010). Study on physiological responses to stress reveals gender difference. Medical News Today. University of Montreal. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/183347.php. Desjardins investigates the influence of age and gender, on physiological response to stress. Study participants of both genders and varying age groups, from 20 to 64, were given a series of varied tasks, such as reading a book with neutral content about geography, engaging in role play that involves conflict and debating a highly controversial topic. “Results showed that women and older men had elevated cardiovascular, autonomic and endocrine responses to stress - all potentially damaging to their health” (Desjardins, 2010). The author further explains that a condition of defensiveness, which involves avoidance and denial of perceived threat, also affects physiological stress in the various groups differently. Blood pressure and heart rates were used as a measure of physiological stress. While younger women with a high degree of defensiveness exhibited the highest measures of physiological stress, older men with a low degree of defensiveness exhibited the highest measures among males. The research as implications for treating women in domestic violence situations, to reduce levels of physiological stress. It also has implications for care givers and care providers of elderly men. Spiegel, D. (2005). Do community cancer support groups reduce physiological stress in women with primary Breast Cancer? Stanford University. Retrieved from http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00186524. The research aims to investigate the effectiveness of cancer community support groups for women diagnosed with Breast Cancer, compared to groups of women receiving specialized therapy in a program developed by Stanford University, on reducing levels of physiological stress. “There is every reason to suppose that community groups are as effective at serving women with primary breast cancer as Stanfords groups, though they are based on very different ideas of therapy” (Spiegel, 2005). The implications for this study are that women diagnosed with Breast Cancer can benefit from a variety of support groups or supportive measures and that those with insufficient or inadequate health coverage can benefit from community groups, as an alternative to individual or specialized therapy. Physiological stress was measured through saliva samples of participants, as well as through interview and reporting of emotional distress. Page, E. (2001). Academentia: Physiological stress, toxic work sites and the neutralization of blackness by the whiteness standards of professionalization. Sixth Annual National Conference, POCPWI. University of Nebraska. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=pocpwi6&sei-redir=1#search=%22research+on+physiological+stress%22. The author suggests that academic standards and processes are developed as a result of a white culture and that those standards can create physiological stress for blacks in academia. “It also can infect those whose embrace of blackness (widely defined across cultures) is the least tolerant of the racial designs of white cultural practices” (Page, 2001). The ethnographic study focuses on the effects of whiteness standards, for black persons working in academia. The expectations then are designed for white academics may not be valued by black academics and they may face severe repercussions. One example Page uses is the notion that to succeed in academia, one must focus more on the institution and less on family life. Family life is usually very important in black culture, so a conflict creates higher levels of physiological stress. Hand, G. A., Phillips, K. D., *Dudgeon, W. D. (2006). Perceived stress in HIV-infected individuals: Physiological and psychological correlates. AIDS Care, 18(8), 1011-1017. http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1138&context=utk_nurspubs&sei-redir=1#search=%22research+on+physiological+stress%22. The authors investigate the relationship between perceived stress and its affect on health and disease progression, by measuring levels of stress in HIV positive patients. Respondents with a higher level of perceived stress tend to experience faster progression of disease or greater Levels of immune deficiency. “The results from the present study show a correlation between fatigue and perceived stress, as well as correlations between fatigue and anxiety and depression (Hand, Et al, 2006). The findings show that interventions, such as stress management and treatment for emotional symptoms related to the disease, may help patients with HIV live longer and experience a better quality of life. Read More