Stress - Complications

Risk Factors for Stress

At some point in their lives, virtually everyone will experience stressful events or situations that overwhelm their natural coping mechanisms. In one poll, 89% of respondents indicated that they had experienced serious stress in their lives. Some people are simply biologically prone to stress. Many outside factors influence susceptibility as well.

Conditions Most Likely To Produce Stress-Related Health Problems. Conditions that are most likely to be associated with stress and negative physical effects include the following:

• An accumulation of persistent stressful situations, particularly those that a person cannot easily control (for example, a high-pressure job plus an unhappy relationship)
• Persistent stress after a severe acute response to a traumatic event (such as an automobile accident)
• Acute stress accompanying a serious illness, such as heart disease

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Factors That Influence the Response to Stress. People respond to stress differently, depending on different factors:

• Early nurturing: People who were abused in childhood may have long-term abnormalities in the hypothalamus-pituitary system, which regulates stress.
• Personality traits: Certain people have personality traits that cause them to over-respond to stressful events. For example, those who are neurotic may get stressed more easily and turn to dangerous behaviors such as smoking and heavy drinking as a result. Being more outgoing and aware of the world may improve a person's response to stress by lowering levels of stress-related inflammatory hormones.
• Genetic factors: Some people have genetic factors that affect stress, such as having a more or less efficient relaxation response.
• Immune regulated diseases: Certain diseases that are associated with immune abnormalities (such as rheumatoid arthritis or eczema) may weaken the response to stress.
• The length and quality of stressors: The longer the duration and the more intense the stressors, the more harmful the effects.

Individuals at Higher Risk for Stress. Studies indicate that the following people are more vulnerable than others to the effects of stress: