Stress In Later Adulthood Essay

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstance. It was first studied around the 1950s, throughout the next 30 years some researchers had conducted experiments that showed that although the type of stressors resulting in the release of a stress hormones are different for everyone. Feelings of stress are caused by the body's instinct to defend itself. This instinct is good in emergencies. (staff, 2010) Research suggests that adults in later middle adulthood are exposed to fewer stressors than adults in earlier adulthood. Though adults in later adulthood are more reactive to daily stressors the adults in earlier adulthood. Given that adults in later adulthood have more health difficulties and losses of friends or family, why don't they report more problems? The answer seems to be in how they view problems. Adults in later middle adulthood are less likely to perceive their problems as stressful. Researchers have looked into reactivity to various stressors that include interpersonal, work, network, and home stressors. Interpersonal stressors are more highly associated with daily well-being than other stressors. Home stressors, including family demands and responsibilities, are associated with anxiety, tension, and

Women's daily stress peaked between ages 35-44. During this period women had shown more stress at work and at home than at other periods of adulthood. The frequency of stress on a daily basis decreased throughout the rest of middle adulthood for both men and women. A decline in interpersonal tensions was responsible for the decrease. Negative events that happen to friends or relatives was the only category of daily stress that was more frequent during middle and later adulthood (McGinley, 1997). Stress can cause health problems or make health problems