Stress Management Common Stressors and Related Health Issues Essay

Identifying the Population Serve

Imagine if every stressor you encounter were to cause you to throw a punch or run and hide. Most people can recall encountering others whose response seemed a little extreme for the stressful moment at hand. Just like there are various manifestations of stress, there needs to be various strategies for managing stress. Stress management includes cognitive and behavioral interventions to teach adaptive coping strategies. Training may include relaxation exercises, assertiveness training, goal setting, sleep hygiene, time management, conflict management, or cognitive restructuring. Researchers have discovered that stress management interventions not only help you navigate a stressful situation but they also seem to balance the immune system disorders that are associated with stress. For example, relaxation techniques have shown to be effective in suppressing viral outbreaks. Guided imagery, for example, has been found to be effective in enhancing immune function for those with herpes. Also, stressed medical students who use relaxation techniques have better functioning immune systems during exam periods when compared to a control group. Stress management techniques enhance the effectiveness of immunizations and reduce the autoimmune response of asthma. Practicing stress management techniques leads to lowered levels of depression, negative mood, and morning cortisol levels.

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While there are specific stress management techniques proven to be effective, this does not relieve health psychology professionals from finding the most suitable stress management strategies for their clients and the specific stressors from which they suffer. As mentioned in this week’s Discussion, there are a variety of cultural, biological, and environmental factors impacting how populations respond to stress. As a result, there has been a great deal of research conducted on stress management for specific populations. The outcome is a list of topics included in stress management educational sessions that differ by population. Training may include a variety of strategies such as productive versus nonproductive coping, time management, and goal setting. Since one strategy may not effectively relieve all types of stress response, participants in stress management workshops may be taught an array of different strategies from which to choose.

For this assignment, research a population for which you would like to create a stress management workshop. Then find four articles in the Walden Library related to stress management techniques appropriate for the types of stress your population faces.

The Assignment (3–5 page APA-formatted essay)

Your Final Project in this course is to develop a stress management presentation/workshop for a population of your choice including a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, three handouts, an evaluation form, and a supporting evidence-based descriptive narrative. This week’s assignment serves as the foundation for the deliverables of your Final Project.

• Select and describe a target population.
• Explain common stressors and related health issues for this population.
• Select and empirically support three stress management strategies.
• Explain why these strategies are appropriate for the target population.

Required Readings

Aldwin, C. M. & Yancura, L. (2011). Stress, coping, and adult development. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 263–274). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Brandolo, E., Brady ver Halen, N., Libby, D., & Pencille, M. (2011). Racism as a psychosocial stressor. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 167–184). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Chandola, T., & Marmot, M. G. (2011). Socioeconomic status and stress. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 185–193). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Davis, M. C., Burleson, M. H., & Kruszewski, D. M. (2011). Gender: Its relationship to stressor exposure, cognitive appraisal/coping processes, stress responses, and health outcomes. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 247–261). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Garrido, M. M., Hash-Converse, J. M., Leventhal, H., & Leventhal, E. A. (2011). Stress and chronic disease management. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 487–500). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Nezu, A. M., Maguth Nezu, C., & Xanthopoulos, M. S. (2011). Stress reduction in chronically ill patients. In R. J. Contrada & A. Baum (Eds.), The handbook of stress science: Biology, psychology, and health (pp. 475–485). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

American Psychological Association. (2007, August 17). New research shows how chronic stress worsens neurodegenerative disease course [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2007/08/chr…

Dhabhar, F. S. (2009). Enhancing versus suppressive effects of stress on immune function: Implications for immunoprotection and immunopathology. Neuroimmunomodulation, 16(5), 300–317.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the MEDLINE with Full Text database.

Lupien, S. J., McEwen, B. S., Gunnar, M. R., & Heim, C. (2009). Effects of stress throughout the lifespan on the brain, behavior and cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 434–445. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2007, October 18). Stress: Brain yields clues about why some succumb while others prevail [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/stress-b…

Potts, J. (2007, October). Study of relationship between chronic diseases and stress. Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/85162.php

Stauder, A., Thege, B. K., Kovács, M. E., Balog, P., Williams, V. P., & Williams, R. B. (2010). Worldwide stress: Different problems, similar solutions? Cultural adaptation and evaluation of a standardized stress management program in Hungary. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 17(1), 25–32.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

Suglia, S.F., Staudenmayer, J., Cohen, S., Bosquet Enlow, M., Rick-Edwards, J. W., & Wright, R. J. (2010). Cumulative stress and cortisol disruption among Black and Hispanic pregnant women in an urban cohort. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2(4), 326–334.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.

Wilson, D. R. (2010). Stress management for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse: A holistic inquiry. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 32(1), 103–127.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). Stress, the immune system, chronic illness, and your body. Unpublished document.

• Read the section titled “Stress and Immune-Related Disease”

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Chronic diseases. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/chronic_diseases/en/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/index.htm

Optional Resources

Papathanassoglou, E., Giannakopoulou, M., Mpousika, M., Bozas, E., & Karabinis, A. (2010). Potential effects of stress in critical illness through the role of stress neuropeptides. Nursing in Critical Care, 15(4), 204–216

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Trauma- and stressor-related disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., pp. 265-290). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Retrieved from the Walden Library.

National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). National Institute on Aging. Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/

 

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Social determinants of health. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/social_determinants/en/