The Uneven Stress of Social Change: Disruptions, Disparities, and Mental Health

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic underscores, disparities in stress exposure, vulnerability, and protective resources are often magnified in times of rapid change. I argue that Leonard Pearlin’s integration of life course and stress process frameworks constitutes a useful model for advancing a research agenda on the stressors and corollary mental health impacts of the social disruptions and dislocations defining life in the early twenty-first century. Social changes interrupt life paths and produce potentially stressful circumstances at particular time points in biographies already defined, shaped, and constrained at the intersections of race, class, nativity, age, and gender. Critical for both science and policy development is a mental health research agenda on the nature and consequences of the uneven stresses of social changes as they play out at different life course stages in disparate ways depending on people’s intersecting social locations.

Ongoing Remote Work, Returning to Working at Work, or in between during COVID-19: What Promotes Subjective Well-Being?

“…In his conceptualization of stress process theory, Pearlin (1989) emphasizes the importance of macro-level structural arrangements and changes in them as contributing to disparities in the risks of stress exposure (Pearlin 1989; also see Fenwick and Tausig 1994; Moen 2022; Wheaton et al 2013). Thus, stress process theory posits that macro-level contexts and changes can upend existing arrangements and needed resources, reducing well-being by eliciting discomfort and negative emotions (Pearlin and Bierman 2013).…”

Cumulative Pandemic Stressors, Psychosocial Resources, and Psychological Distress: Toward a More Comprehensive Test of a Pandemic Stress Process

“…Decades of research have established the noxious impact of stressors on mental health, with a great deal of scholarly attention documenting the impact of chronic stressors, traumatic stressors, and discrimination on health and well-being ( Pearlin and Bierman 2013 ; J. Taylor and Turner 2002 ; Turner and Lloyd 1995 ; Williams 2018 ). The burgeoning study of pandemic stressors and mental health has sparked new interest in the stress process by confirming and extending the general patterns of pre-pandemic research ( Bierman, Upenieks, Glavin, and Schieman 2021 ; Donnelly and Farina 2021 ; Grace 2021 ; Grace and VanHeuvelen 2022 ; Moen 2022 ; Qian and Fan 2022 ; Witteveen and Velthorst 2020 ).…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a global expansion of social stress. The highly contagious and deadly nature of the coronavirus combined with sudden lockdowns, social distancing measures, and economic shutdowns have contributed to widespread insecurity and psychological distress ( Bierman and Schieman 2020 ; Bierman, Upenieks, Glavin, and Schieman 2021 ; Donnelly and Farina 2021 ; Moen 2022 ; Zheng et al 2021 ). With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that scholars have documented a rising incidence of mental health issues in the U.S. population over the course of the pandemic ( McGinty et al 2020 , 2022 ; Tran et al 2022 ; Twenge, McAllister, and Joiner 2021 ).…”

“…In this case, it is the expectation of control, social support, or positive outcomes that matter for how individuals navigate the social world generally ( Mirowsky and Ross 1990 ; Wethington and Kessler 1986 ). The question is whether these coping resources are sufficient to moderate or buffer the impact of cumulative pandemic stressors on psychological distress ( Moen 2022 ). Sometimes stress-buffering occurs when coping resources mitigate the impact of stressors on mental health ( Kawachi and Berkman 2001 ).…”

A Forced Vacation? The Stress of Being Temporarily Laid Off During a Pandemic

“…The Stress Process Model (SPM) offers theoretical insights. Pearlin and colleagues ( 1981 ) argued that when a disruptive event occurs, individuals often struggle to re-establish homeostasis (Pearlin and Bierman, 2013 ; Moen, 2022 ). A disruptive job event can be classified as a stressor—one that might elevate distress if it “is involuntary, undesired, and unscheduled” ( Pearlin et al, 1981 :343).…”