Social Stress in the Twenty-First Century

Social Support, Help-Seeking, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Veterans in Non-VA Facilities: Results from the Veterans' Health Study

“…Premised on the concept that all individuals experience negative life events (Pearlin & Bireman, 2013; Turner, Wheaton, & Lloyd, 1995; Wheaton, Young, Montazer, & Stuart-Lahman, 2013), the stress process model suggests that a life event is stressful to the extent that it requires the individual to change his or her behavior, cognitive processes, or emotional assessment to meet the challenge presented. More precisely, stressors are “conditions of threat, challenge, demands, or structural constraints that, by the very fact of their occurrence or existence, call into question the operating integrity of the organism” (Wheaton et al, 2013, p. 300).…”

“…More precisely, stressors are “conditions of threat, challenge, demands, or structural constraints that, by the very fact of their occurrence or existence, call into question the operating integrity of the organism” (Wheaton et al, 2013, p. 300).…”

“…The stress process model further suggests that the association between exposure to a stressful/traumatic event and mental status should be considered within the context of demographic factors, psychological resources, such as self-esteem and resilience, and the social connections available at the time (Pearlin & Bireman, 2013; Wheaton et al, 2013). However, not all stressors are the same.…”

Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymia at the Intersection of Nativity and Racial–Ethnic Origins

“…The stress hypothesis points to psychosocial stressors as potential triggers for depressive disorders among immigrants. Stress is a multi-faceted, multilevel concept that is not easily defined [21]. In biological terms, it is a physiological response of the body in the presence of stressors , or “conditions of threat, challenge, demands, or structural constraints” (p. 300) [21].…”

“…Stress is a multi-faceted, multilevel concept that is not easily defined [21]. In biological terms, it is a physiological response of the body in the presence of stressors , or “conditions of threat, challenge, demands, or structural constraints” (p. 300) [21]. Two types of stress – stressful life events, so-called “events stress,” and chronic stress, for example, experiences with discrimination – are often addressed from the psychosocial perspective and are known to affect mental health problems among minority populations [22, 23].…”