Stress Theories and Stress Impacts
Stress Theories and Stress Impacts
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Emotional and Health Impacts of Stress on International Students
Impacts of Stress
Physical effects of stress include ailments resulting from chronic stress such as diabetes, cancer, depression, ulcers heart disease and/or low back pain. Prolonged stress episodes compromise the immune system and increase health vulnerability. Psychological stress occurs when stress interferes with the ability of an individual to concentrate, recall, understand and retain complex information. Stressful life events cause psychological imbalance, with inadequate social support contributing to mental disorders. The adolescent-adulthood phase of life is characterized by an increment in diverse stressors, leading to and increased suicide incidents among college students. This depicts a clear indication of high individual and societal stress, and an increment of the rate of anxiety disorders among the students (Sher, 2009).
Many stressed individuals take alcohol and other drugs as an alternative to the lacking social support. These behaviors are expensive in terms of purchase and influence, with prolonged habitual use of alcohol and other drugs leading to abuse and consequential health complications, which necessitate more funds for rehabilitation and health care (Wong, Wong& Lonner, 2006).
Stress Management Models
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) Model
Critical incident stress debriefing model is a supportive crisis intervention process used on small homogeneous groups after a significant traumatic event. It helps in reducing distress, restoring group cohesion and individual performance, and coping. According to Strand, Felices & Williams (2010) CISD entails introduction, process description and discussions, facts involve a brief overview of the requested facts from the group, and thoughts involving transition from cognitive to effective domain. Reactions entail impact of the traumatic events on the participants, description of common symptoms associated with the traumatic event, and normalization of the described symptoms. Re-entry involves a question forum and finalizing/summarization of the CISD process, and finally the start of follow-up services.
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Model
CISM is a comprehensive multicomponent crisis intervention system for the provision of education and support to individuals, to accumulate significant traumatic incident stress experienced in their lines of duty (Volkman, 2007).
According to Strand, Felices & Williams (2010), the core elements of CISM intervention are multifaceted and can be applied to individuals, groups or organizations. Critical incident stress defusing involves the mitigation of symptoms, whereas critical incident stress debriefing involves facilitation of psychological closure. Individual crises intervention targets return to normal functioning and referral if needed, whereas pre-crises preparation and education targeting expectations and improvement of stress management and coping. Demobilizations and staff consultations facilitate psychological decompression. Crisis management briefing enhances disaster readiness and management; whereas in follow-up enhances access to higher care levels.
There is agreement between CISM and CISD, though some researches claim that CISM may worsen the trauma symptoms, and that CISM has little effect. CISM has been said to have beneficial impacts when blended with emergency services (Strand, Felices & Williams, 2010).
Stress Theories
In order to explain the findings of this question Selye’s theory will be used.Han Selye’s theory on coping systematic stress observed that stimulus events cause non-specific body changes and each stimulus produces a specific body effect. Selye expounds on the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) in three phases. The alarm reaction comprises an initial shock phase, characterized by increased adrenaline production and subsequent counter shock phase which initializes the body defense processes. Resistance results from continued noxious stimulation and adaptation to the stressors, increasing stress vulnerability (Ye, 2008). Exhaustion triggers irreversible tissue damage, fatal with persistent stimulation. Selye perceives of stress as a reaction to different events that led to the assumption of the stress concept as a turning point for all types of approaches. Close relation between stress and such diverse terms as anxiety or emotional distraction risked the loss of the scientific meaning of the stress concept (Palumbo & Scott, 2005).
In conclusion, stress causes alterations in individual consciousness, self-perception, and systems of meaning. This results in to unstable psychological, emotional and physical conditions. The physical cost of stress is critical in disease prevention and mental well-being, and is hence in agreement in terms of overall causes and impacts of stress (Sher, 2009). The question that remains unresolved from the literature reviews is “what is the affects of stress for international students?”.
References
Dyregrov, A. (2008). The critical incident stress debriefing: an operational guide. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8 (2): 360-362.
Palumbo A. & Scott A. (2005). Modern Social Theory. A. Harrington (ed.). Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 40-62.
Regel, S & Joseph, S. (2010). Post-traumatic stress. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Sher, L. (2009). Psychological factors and cardiovascular disorders the role of stress and psychosocial influences. New York, Nova Biomedical Books.
Strand R, Felices K, & Williams K. (2010). Critical incident stress management (CISM) in support of special agents and other first responders responding to the Fort Hood shooting: summary and recommendations. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 12: 151-60.
Volkman, R. (2007). Traumatic incident reduction and critical incident stress management: a synergistic approach. NY: Loving Healing Press.
Wong, T., Wong, J. & Lonner, W. (2006). Handbook of multicultural perspectives on stress and coping. New York, Springer.
Ye, J. (2008). Structural and stress analysis theories, tutorials and examples. London, Taylor & Francis.
