Abstract

The relationship between stress and health has been studied widely, although correlations between these two variables are typically weak and only sporadically significant. A possible explanation is that no research has established a timeline for the effects of stress, and different studies have used different periods for testing the stress-health link. This study explored the stress-to-poor health time line using archival data collected in three bi-monthly waves from undergraduate university students. Baseline stress predicted four of five health variables two and four months later, even when baseline illnesses were controlled statistically, and failed to indicate which time lag was superior. Secondary analyses showed participants with the highest stress at the beginning of the semester to experience the most concurrent symptoms, and that both their stress and health improved over the course of the study. This suggests immediate effects of stress on health. Implications are discussed.

Details

Title
The effects of psychological stress on physical health over time
Author
Damiano, Elizabeth S.
Year
2010
Publisher
ProQuest Dissertations Publishing
ISBN
978-1-124-60716-0
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
866320963
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.