Stress! A familiar and often used word these days.

In todays society, it has become an area of interest

and concern due to its effect upon the physiological and psychological functioning of the individual.

What then, exactly, is stress? Stress has been conceptualized as a stimulus, a response and transaction.
Stimulus models view stress as a psychosocial demand leading to personal strain (Shinn, Rosario, Morch
& Chessnut, 1984 as cited in Matheny, Aycock, Pugh, Curlette, Canella, 1986). They emphasize the
precipitating role of environmental factors such as major life events (Holmes & Masuda, 1974; Holmes &
Rahe, 1967). The event is the stress and the bodys response to it is reffered to as strain or tension. This
is usual manner in which the general public uses the term. War, famine, accidents, pressure, and other
negative events are commonly referred to as stress. Futhermore, stimulus models have postulated that
stress in the form of clustering life events lead predictably to stress symptoms such as illness. The
schedule of Recent Experience (SRE) developed by Holmes and Rahe (1967) is used often to measure the
major number of events to which a person has been subjected over a period.

The Carnegie Council on adolescent Development (1984) they revealed that earlier school problem may
at the root of academic failure in high school. Many students, especially minorities, decide to leave
school before the end of the 10th grade. Poor performance in schools leads to discouragement and to
dropping out. At risk students require extra attention, especially to stressful time, from teacher or
counselor. When students are closed to dropping out of school, counselor availability and information
about alternatives can make a difference.

Comer and Hagnes (1992) studied parental involvement towards academic performance. He found that
parental involvement contributes to improved academic performance, behavior, and self-esteem of at
risk students.

Miller and Smith (1997) as cited in the article the stress solution stated that stress management could
be complicated and confusing because there are three different types of stress- acute stress, episodic
stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is the most common form of stress. It comes from the demand
and pressures of the resent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future. It is thrilling
and exciting in small doses, but to much is exhausting, fortunately, acute stress symptoms are
recognized by most people. because it is short term. Acute stress doesnt have enough time to do the
extensive damage associated with long term stress. It can crop up in any one people who experience
episodic stress are does who suffer acute stress frequently, whose lives are so disorders that they are
studies in chaos and crisis. They are always in rush, but always late. If something can go wrong, it does.
They take on too much, have to many irons in the file, and cant organized the slew of self-inflicted
demands and pressures clamoring for their attention. They seem to be in the clutches of acute stress.
While acute stress can be thrilling and exciting, chronic stress is not. This is the grinding stress that
wears people away day after day, year after year. Chronic stress destroys bodies, mind and lives. It
wreaks have through long term attention. It is the stress of unreturning demands and pressures for
streaming interminable periods of time. With no hope, the individual given up searching for
solutions(Miller and Smith 1997).
According to Santos (1994) most people define stress as the state of being exhausted, pressured,
threatened, anxious, and burn out. Stress comes from the Latin word strictus meaning strict. It is also
another word to anxiety, pressure, tension or strain to come out with a clearer understanding of stress,
experts have shared their research of the definition, nature and effects of stress.

Lamberton and Minor (1995) cited that Hans Selye developed a theory about what stress does to us
physically? He called it the general adaptation syndrome or GHS. According to this theory, when we are
first confronted with stressors, own body resounds with what is known as the fight-or-flight response an
activation of the bodys sympathetic nervous system. During the fight-or-flight response, our bodies
quickly (in a matter of seconds) get ready to confront or to escape the stressors by specific physical and
chemical reactions. These includes increase heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and stomach acid,
tensed muscles and a sudden release of adrenaline.

Stressors as defined by Huffman (1991) are stimuli that cause stress. Therefore, anything that causes the
body to respond is stressors, the sources of stressors are everyday hassles, conflicts, life changes and
categories.

According to Han Selye (1936), the noted stress researcher, stress is the nonspecific psychological and
physiological response of the body to any new demand made upon it. Anything pleasant or unpleasant
that interferes with the bodys equilibrium or disrupts homeostasis is a stressor.

Studies on Stress

A great deal of literature and research dealing with life-events and stress during adolescence has
cited school as a major contributor to students stress. Since a considerable portion of a teenagers life is
spent at school in the pursuit of academic endeavors, it is reasonable to assume that substantial
proportion of stressors affecting adolescents may originate in the academic area. Studies conducted by
Shirom (1986) and Jones&Hattie (1991) confirmed this observation. Shiroms research indicated that the
greatest stressors perceived by undergraduate students were related to examination, meeting class
assignments and to the teaching process. The work of Jones & Hattie revealed four significant factors
contributing to academic stress within an adolescent student population. They were (1) peer pressure;
(2) parental pressure; (3) importance of school; and (4) fear of failure.

A number of studies have also indicate that the prevalence of stressors id centered in the two
most important domains of a teenagers life: home and school. The studies of Villanova (1984), Walker
(1985), Garfinkel et al (1986), and Mates and Allison (1992) supported this fact.

Villanova (1984) in his study on the perceptions of college students concerning the levels of
stress they experience from 25 potentials stressors, seven stress-source factors were identified: (1)
academic content, (2) interpersonal relationships and health (3) financial security, (4) relocation and
residence, (5) recent death of family member, (6) sexual relationships and academic context (camping,
parking, dealing with the university administration and relations with instructors). The study concluded
that students perceived academic and monetary factors to be the most intense stressors while
relocation and present residence along with interpersonal relationships and health as being less
stressful.

In a more informal survey of 60 young people (Walker, 1985), the primary sources of tension
and trouble for teens and their friends were: relationship with friends and family; the pressure of
expectation from self and others; pressure at school from teachers, coaches, grades and home works;
financial pressures; and tragedy in the lives of family and friends (described as death, divorces and
cancer).

A survey conducted in Mennisota pointed out some of the stressful events young people
experience, described how young people deal with stress, and indicated the risk factors for young
people most vulnerable to stress, depression and self-destructive behavior. This major research project
provided ddata collected from nearly 1,300 high school students in 52 rural Minnesota countries
(Garfinkel, et. al,. 1986). The most common of these were break up with their boy/girl friend, increased
arguments with their parents, serious illness and injury of family member, trouble with classmates and
family.

Gray & Rottmans worked revealed that perceived stressors most often recorded were pressure
over academic grades, not enough time to accomplish personal needs, concern over the future, financial
problems, concern over meaning and purpose in life, concern over physical appearance and finding a job
over graduation.

In the article, Stress and Middle Grader, Elkind (1986) described the basic forms of surface stress
encountered by young people in the middle grades, as well as some typical responses to each form of
stress. The three basic stress situations are the following: (1) Type A stress situations are both
foreseeable nor avoidable; (2) Type A stress situations are neither foreseeable nor avoidable; and (3)
Type C stress situations are those that re foreseeable but not avoidable. Moreover, he elaborated that
Type A stressors arise out of the increased freedom granted to many of todays young people. Type B
stressors being encountered by the middle graders are the prevalence of separation and divorce among
married couples and having to do with loss. The basic response to those painful events is a sense of loss
or depression. Going through the normal cycle if a healthy depression and relying on a set of values,
religious or otherwise are positive ways of handling such stressful situations. Type C stressors center
around school work and this includes tests, written or oral reports and term papers. Confronted with
this pressure, many young people react with anger which are often directed towards their teachers (for
imposing them), their parents (for insisting that they study).
school system (for being boring and worthless), and even at themselves (for fear that they cannot
succeed academically). This pattern of projected anger, finding fault and avoiding responsibility is best
addressed by teaching young people to develop good and useful work habits.