Stress approach to studying mental health
1.a) identify and discuss relevant sources of stress for the population. In doing so, distinguish between major categories of stressors and give some specific examples of the kinds of stressors that you think are more prevalent in the particular research population.
Stress can be described as a psychological response to a threat that is perceived by an individual. Many college students undergo stress in their everyday lives. They probably experience this unfortunate condition because of having to leave home and adapting to a new environment. The pressure of new surroundings and high expectations placed upon them by society further plunges them into depression and stress, mostly during the freshmen year (Hamaideh, 69-80). Students battle with anxiety, depression, and stress; this is mainly as a result of transitioning from high school to college. Adapting to a new environment with strange faces is indeed stressful. They are expected to manage their problems, demands, and all the challenges they encounter. The transition is portrayed as growing from adulthood to youth. It is during this time that many students raise doubts about their academic capabilities. They also have to meet their parent’s expectations, which further stresses them. This article aims to discuss stressors and their causes among students in their freshman year.
First, being acquainted with new surroundings to adjusting to new schedules and timetables that one must abide strictly is quite challenging. The freshman is also a year when college students are supposed to pay their foundation to further their education. Once in University, the workload increases, and more is expected from students. There are projects students are expected to manage their selves, unlike in high school, when most of them lived with their parents. All this pressure eventually results in stress (Heiman, 505-520).
Stressors can be categorized into cognitive stress, emotional stress, physical stress, behavioral stress as well as psychological and physiological stress. First-year students get affected by these stressors in one way or another. High advanced learning with extensive workload results in a significant cause of stress in freshmen. This is mostly because they are not prepared with the tools and understanding required by the institution. If they don’t cope up immediately, they may continue to lag, therefore leading to more stress and frustration.
Self-esteem and body image are also another cause of stress among first-year students. The college presents the pressure of wanting to stand out. It is during this period that most students start chasing fame in college. Most want to be known. If this doesn’t happen as they hoped for, it leads to stress. Some students also feel that they don’t look good enough in terms of body appearance, this leading to stress. It is the pressure of having a beautiful body that would result in low self-esteem. It also results in fear of not being accepted by their peers, and this ends up stressing them.
Financial stress is another challenge that students go through. Before joining University, most of them were provided for by their parents. Students are not only expected to manage themselves academically but also financially. They have to come up with a way to manage the money their parents send. Some may also have to work part-time jobs in order to sustain themselves at the University. Financial stress also occurs when the institution promises to find a certain amount of money to students but then end up not paying; this leaves the students stranded and stressed.
Also, the peculiar and unique nature of college, as well as transitioning from teenagers to young adult’s first’s real exposure to true independence and grown-ups level of anxiety, make it stressful for first-year students. Most of them are not well equipped to deal with this burden. Moreover, they often have few friends or no friends at all who could guide them. They also do not have a family to support them while at school. They have to depend on themselves selves leading to more stress entirely.
- b) Identify discuss two potential moderators (buffers) of this stress in this stress in this population. Using specific examples explain how they are likely to operate in this stressful process.
Stress management begins with finding the source of stress. From the previous essay, I have discussed several causes of stress among freshman students. The major ones include academic pressure, physical appearance stress, financial stress, physical appearance stress, financial stress, and adaption stress. To handle these conditions, it is very important to employ methods such as the adaption of the stressor, alteration of the situation, and acceptance of the things one cannot change. In this article, I will focus on how students should suppress stress by accepting the things they cannot change and also adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Freshman students should adopt a healthy lifestyle to strengthen their physical health. They can achieve this by exercising regularly. This will reduce and prevent stress. In top of that, they should also eat healthily. This could be difficult because students have limited resources. However, healthy bodies are better ready to handle stress. Students should also reduce the amount of sugar and caffeine that they consume. These two oft-times lead to a crash in the mood and energy. By decreasing the amount of coffee and other soft drinks with a lot of sugar, these students stand a high chance of suppressing stress. They should also avoid drugs such as alcohol and cigarette. Self-medication with these drugs provides an only temporary escape from fear. They should deal with stress with clear.
Some causes of stress are unavoidable. Students cannot change the fact that they will have to adapt to the new environment. They also cannot change their new life. In such a case, the optimal way to manage stress is to accept and make peace with the way things are and have a positive mind about it. Freshmen should not try to control the uncontrollable. If the challenges are beyond their control, it may be difficult to accept, but, in the long run, yields better results.
- C) Using the above stressors and moderators as examples, explain how you would know whether elevated mental health problems among freshman was due to exposure or stress vulnerability
The elevated mental health problem among newcomers is mainly due to stress vulnerability as they struggle to cope and adapt to the new environment. As they transit from high school to University, the students are presented with a vast new life. There is even more workload, new faces, new teachers and to make matters worse few friends or no friends. These students have to start again and cope up with the new life. This leads to them developing mental problems. However, they can cope up by adopting skills such as relaxation and social interactions. Relaxations help when one is dealing with stress and tension. Social skills, such as connecting with new people, will also help reduce stress vulnerability. Adaptation stress can result in worse symptoms such as relapse. Freshman at first find their new environment challenging to live in; this explains why most of them end up having mental and psychological problems.
- Are marriage, parenthood, and employment good for people’s mental health?
World Health Organization has defined mental health as “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can make a contribution to her or his community.” The nonexistence of mental malady does not certainly mean the existence of good mental health. A person can have a mental disorder and still manage to live a successful life but within the limitations of throbbing symptoms. Mental health disorders consist of depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, alcohol and substance dependence, and other diseases that alter the psychological behavior of a person. Stressful experiences can cause mental disorders, and other times they can also result in the absence of such encounters.
Mental health can be affected by social, economic, and environmental factors. I am going to concentrate on socioeconomic factors that can affect mental health, especially the effects of marriage, parenthood, and employment. Proofs advocates that being married and living with a companion can be good for mental health. It is because marriage is associated with satisfaction and fewer depressions. When two people come together to live as one, they reduce the severity of economic hardships (Ross, 1995). Secondly, marriage is the basis of passionate and contributory sustenance. Emotional support reduces the frequency of depression and mental disorders (Ross). It may also offer a vital cushion against anxiety (Kessler1988).
Marriage promotes a sense of belonging, which is thought to enhance good mental health (House). Married people also tend to avoid engaging in precarious activities, and behaviors and partners also take care of each other when they are sick. Marriage is, therefore, good for mental health. However, some experiences in marriage can worsen mental health. Such experiences include divorce, abusive partners, low-income jobs that cannot sustain the needs of the family, and infidelity in marriage.
Parenthood is a life-changing experience imposing both happiness and depression on those who begin parenting (Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2003). The highest percentage of women and men who suffer from mental disorders are parents (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2016). The above illustration is evidence that parenthood is associated with mental health problems. Childlessness has been reported to have an influence on wellbeing and mental health. Young childless adults have good mental health than parents (Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2003). However, the fear of infertility has also been associated with anxiety and depression in childlessness, particularly for low wages families (McQuillan, Greil, White, & Jacob, 2003). Parenthood has both good and bad effects on mental health.
Employment can provide certain experiences that can enhance wellbeing and mental health. The psychosocial experiences that employment can provide time structuring, social contacts among individuals, collective responsibility, social identity, and regular activities. The above makes employment life easy, stress-free, and supports general wellbeing and thus promoting positive mental health. Workplace and its environs can be a major determinant of wellbeing and mental health. A conducive environment can impact mental health positively. Low-quality occupation, such as one without or with short-term deals, and works with low wages and control, have substantial detrimental influences on mental health. Equally, employment security and a feeling of being in control at a job enhance good mental health.
- a) How does the basic premise of the “social constructionist” approach differ from that of the social etiological approach?
The social constructionist approach perceives mental illness as cultural descriptions rather than individual characteristics. It examines how the concept of culture on mental illness began, gets practiced, and altered. On the other hand, the social etiological approach perceives symptoms of mental illness as individual characteristics and social causes.
- b) Core differences between traditional labeling theory and modified labeling theory.
Traditional labeling theory focuses on the fact that powerful individuals and states create a crime by terming some behaviors inappropriate. It focuses on the reactions of members of society to crime. Modified labeling theory introduces the concept of mental illness in the process of labeling. This is the core difference between the two labeling theories.
- c) How does research on public perceptions of mental health support the modified labeling perspective?
Research has shown that the stigma associated with mental disorders leads to discrimination lowered self-worth and escalated symptoms. Modified labeling theory explains this effect effectively and how they affect mental health.
- d) Are there ways that modified labeling theory can be consistent with the stress approach to studying mental health?
Stress approach to studying mental health can be consistent with the modified labeling approach due to the stigmatization involved in both.
Work Cited
Hamaideh, Shaher H. “Stressors and reactions to stressors among university students.” International journal of social psychiatry 57.1 (2011): 69-80.
Heiman, Tali. “Examination of the salutogenic model, support resources, coping style, and stressors among Israeli university students.” The Journal of Psychology 138.6 (2004): 505-520.
Chen, Charles P. “Professional issues: Common stressors among international college students: Research and counseling implications.” Journal of college counseling 2.1 (1999): 49-65.