Factors Contibuting to Individual Differences in Stress Response Coursework

Factors Contibuting to Individual Differences in Stress Response - Coursework Example Suffering from some chronic illness may be a source of stress for many people. It is important to understand how to respond to these stresses and factors contributing to differences in individual responses to stress. For instance, while alcohol proves effective in managing stress in some people, it has contradicting results in others (Sher & Walitzer, 1986). Stress response is the natural coping mechanism of the body to respond to stressful events and it involves the release of ‘hormones and glucose into the bloodstream to provide extra energy and alertness’ (Gilles, 2009). Researchers in response to stress often employ different approaches such as a consideration of the stimulus, the response, or the transactional perspective. However, regardless of the approached used, it is generally recognized that the individuals exhibit differences in the ability to respond to different stressful events. The differences can be attributed to the environmental, socio-cultural, and ge netic factors specific to the individuals. Some of the individual factors include personality traits (Kazmi et al, 2009), gender, social class, culture, ethnicity, age, and genetic composition (Davidyan, 2008). This paper examines the background of these observed individual differences with a focus on three contributing factors namely the environmental, cognitive, and genetic factors. ... mographic or historic developmental factors include gender, age, ethnicity, genetic predisposition, history of trauma or abuse, and the individual medical history (Davidyan, 2008). The psychological factors include whereas the social factors include acculturation, social support, socio-economic and educational status, leisure time activities (Davidyan, 2008). Environmental factors Various studies on human epidemiology have indicated that the early life experiences contribute significantly to the development of differences in how the individuals respond to stressful events in later stages of their lives. The differences that are observed in the psychological environment in which a physical stressor occur account for the variability in stress response (Sapolsky, 1994, p.263). The researches on the developmental programming of the stress system have examined the roles played by the environmental stressors or the exogenous glucocorticoids in the development of sensitivity to stress by an individual (Claessens et al, 2011). It must be noted that these factors do not stand alone in providing the influence. The environmental factors interplay other factors like the gene combination to define the differences. The outcomes of early experiences do not determine precisely the fate of an individual in the later stages. A class of environmental, cognitive, and genetic factors takes part in molding the overall outcome of the early life experiences. Personality traits and other dispositional traits have a stake in explaining the stress responses (Avitsur et al, 2006, p.289). However, there are cases in which the environmental factors are powerful and can override other factors like the genetic factors (Claessens et al, 2011). Various aspects of the environment working at specific

Project3+proposal3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project3+proposal3 - Assignment Example There is a need for parents and teachers to get involved in their children’s education by giving them enough support, since adequate sleep is vital for physical and neuropsychological function (Jiunn and Shih, 248). Inadequate sleep results in to inattention, daytime sleepiness, impaired attention, and memory lapse. For that reason, sufficient sleep is crucial as far as the proper functioning of the brain is concerned (Cheng, Wang and Jeng, 59). Research has revealed that there is a divergence, as far as grades are concerned, between students who get enough sleep and eat the right diet, and those who do not. Sufficient sleep helps one to relax and focus on one’s studies. Students who do have enough sleep tend to feel lazy and always procrastinates activities, leading to work load and depression. Sleeping problems are a significant hurdle to learning and cognition, and have an adverse effect on behaviour and the gaining of social competence (Gibson, Powles and Thabane, 1 16). Furthermore, good nutrition helps in cognitive functioning. Children who have a deficiency of calcium are likely to suffer from anaemia, which heavily impacts on their school performance. On the same note, most students consume meals that are high on sugar, fat and sodium, and which may lead to obesity and chronic ailments. Additionally, since most parents are now in the workforce, some students end up skipping nutritious meals and opting for junk foods. Consequently, poor nutrition increases the risks of high blood pressure, obesity, cancer, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes (Edlin and Golanty, 93-94). This brings the need for teachers and parents to support students in getting sufficient sleep and proper nutrition to ensure they perform well in school. With all the partying, preference for television programmes, part time jobs, and studying, it is inevitable for students to lack sufficient sleep and to consume poor diet. Research shows that app roximately 20% of most college students suffer from insomnia. Those experiencing sleeping disorders suffer from anxiety, irritability, and weight gain, aspects that directly affecting their performance in school. Additionally, research has revealed that poor nutrition contributes immensely to diseases like cancer, diabetes, obesity, among others, hence, adversely affecting the academic performance of most students (Edlin and Golanty, 93-94). Students should think holistically on how health behaviours are related to their attainment of success (Carter et al., 8-9). Other adverse impacts of lack of sleep and poor nutrition extend to seizure, gaining of weight, and stroke. Consequently, students result in taking unpleasant measures in order to combat the effects of lack of sleep. Such measures include a high consumption of sodas, coffee, and energy drinks which end up worsening the problem. Various scholars agree that students who are sleep deprived tend to score lower marks as compare d those who sleep sufficiently. The scholars further add that students should get six to about eight hours sleep in order to perform well in their tasks. People who fail to get ample rest end up having low productivity and for the students they end up registering poor scores in their academics (Gibson, Powles and Thabane, 116). Most people do not perceive lack