Running Header: STRESSORS CAUSING A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISES 1

Benito Rumbo

California State University Channel Island

Health 499

Professor Winans

Stressors Causing a Public Health Crises

May
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Introduction:

With stress becoming more present in today's climate. Many individuals are having a

hard time in managing their stressor. Stressors are caused by biological and psychological

responses. Some stressors can be life threatening and challenging for someone to overcome. The

physiological aspect of stress occurs in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), amygdala,

hypothalamus glands, and organs are known as the stress system. The hormone epinephrine

targets the heart to enact a response known as flight or fight.

In the parasympathetic branch of the ANS the role is to act as a mechanism that slows

down the stress response to try to reestablish homeostasis. According to Bin Yu and colleagues,

“Unfortunately, this “brake” might fail to operate when our body overreacts to some chronic

stressors,” (Yu, Funk, Hu, Wang, & Feijs, 2018). If a person is always in flight or fight response

this causes the ANS to become off balance and can cause harm to someone’s body. Long term

flight or fight can elevate cortisol levels causing health complications such as immune

deterioration, anxiety, and depression.

Participant Becoming Affected by Stress:

The youth have an increased chance of depression because of exposure to stress. Stress is

caused by the existence of stressors that include academic exams, financial hardship,

interpersonal relations, and career exploration. The research study concluded that “81.60% of

students are suffering from depression and 79.82% of students suffer from insomnia due to

stressors”. (Bhargava & Trivedi, 2018) When youth is exposed to stress they increase their risk

of psychological, physical, and behavioral problems that can impact their wellbeing. There are
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different factors that are dependent upon stress that include counter medication, high blood

pressure, depression, increase or decrease of appetite, and feeling restlessness.

Another induced stressor is dealing with a child who has been diagnosed with a chronic

illness such as cancer. Coping with a serious illness can promote financial burden, and

psychological distress. Children who are diagnosed with a chronic illness can affect the family

unit from siblings, parents, and other members of the family because of the additional adjustment

ranging from caregiving demands and caregiver’s time. Abby Rosenberg and colleagues’ states

“Recommendations for standard psychosocial care include early access to interventions to

support parent coping.” (Rosenberg et al., 2019) Parents who had the resources of one-on-one

counseling were correlated with more proper methods of stress management compared to the

participants within the study that were involved in group counseling. Having a child diagnosed

with cancer is linked to poor quality of life. Poor quality of life could be related to the additional

stressors of being a parent.

Conclusion/ Coping Management for Stressors:

Using a biofeedback system an individual can decrease their cortisol level. Biofeedback

system is an application that provides a relaxation for someone by exploring color, sound, short

mediation, and listening to natural environments recordings. These practices increase improved

mood, increased concentration, and decreased anxiety. Biofeedback is a tool to maintain stress,

but also having individuals that have emotional intelligences. According to Ramzan Shahid

“Teaching EI skills related to the areas of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness,

and social skill may improve stress management skills, promote wellness, and prevent burnout in

resident physicians." (Shahid, Stirling, & Adams, 2018) Individuals need to start evaluating their

daily life of happiness and explore ways of changing how they manage their stressors. Having
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emotional intelligence can decrease burnout and longevity in someone's health. An individual

can apply both principles in order to manage their stress.

Burnout and stress are correlated with each other that impact the livelihood of an

individual. Experiencing high levels of burnout can increase symptoms of depression and a lower

quality of life. Some stressors included academic performance, caregiver burden, and a high

demanding career. Liselotte Drybrye and colleagues conclude “Studies of mindfulness-based

stress management interventions suggest this approach can reduce anxiety, stress, and depressive

symptoms, improve overall mood, and increase empathy among medical students who volunteer

to participate.” (Dyrbye et al., 2017) Mindfulness activities can create stability for those

experiencing high levels of burnout or stress. By practicing mindfulness, a person is able to gain

resilience into nurturing a positive way of thinking. Using mindfulness can reduce stress and

induce relaxation for an individual.

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Work References:

Bhargava, D., & Trivedi, H. (2018). A study of causes of Stress and Stress Management among

youth. IRA-International Journal of Management & Social Sciences, 11(3), 108.

https://doi.org/10.21013/jmss.v11.n3.p1

Dyrbye, L. N., Shanafelt, T. D., Werner, L., Sood, A., Satele, D., & Wolanskyj, A. P. (2017).

The impact of a required longitudinal stress management and resilience training course for first

year Medical Students. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(12), 1309–1314.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-017-4171-2

Rosenberg, A. R., Bradford, M. C., Junkins, C. C., Taylor, M., Zhou, C., Sherr, N., … Yi-

Frazier, J. P. (2019). Effect of the Promoting Resilience in Stress Management Intervention for

Parents of Children with Cancer (PRISM-P). JAMA Network Open, 2(9), e1911578.

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.11578

Shahid, R., Stirling, J., & Adams, W. (2018). Promoting wellness and stress management in

residents through emotional intelligence training. Advances in Medical Education and Practice,

Volume 9, 681–686. https://doi.org/10.2147/amep.s175299

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Yu, B., Funk, M., Hu, J., Wang, Q., & Feijs, L. (2018). Biofeedback for Everyday Stress

Management: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in ICT, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fict.2018.00023