Life Stress Inventory Research Articles

Assessment of quality of life in patients with psoriasis: a study from Serbia.

Psoriasis has a substantial impact on patients' quality of life. The aims of this study were to assess the impact of the clinical severity of psoriasis on patients' quality of life and to determine the effects of psoriasis-related stress on patients' everyday life. The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Institute of Dermatovenereology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade. The study included 201 patients (124 men and 77 women), aged 18-70 with a diagnosis of psoriasis, hospitalized or treated as outpatients during 2009. For the assessment of patients' quality of life, the psoriasis disability index (PDI) was used. The stress related to psoriasis was measured with the psoriasis life stress inventory (PLSI) and disease severity with the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). We found moderate correlation between PLSI and all PDI subscales and overall score (correlation coefficients ranged from 0.334 to 0.521). The correlation between PASI and PDI subscales was weak, while we failed to find any significant correlation between PASI and the PLSI. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that stress, more severe disease, and lower educational level are significant determining factors of a poorer quality of life in patients with psoriasis. Our results support the importance of assessing the quality of life in psoriasis and effects of stress in patients' adjustment to their condition and may have important implications for a psychological stress management approach in the clinical management of psoriasis.

The Effect of Stress Management on Non-Training Stress in the Overtraining Syndrome

Overtraining Syndrome (OS) is a form of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that affects athletes and avid exercisers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect stress management has on eliminating non-training stress, such as mental or emotional stress, in the OS. Subjects included endurance athletes (N=20, mean age=31.4 years) presenting symptoms of the OS (identified by a questionnaire developed from qualifications for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome paired with accepted characteristics of the OS). Group 1, the stress management (SM) group, met once a week with a counselor who worked with the subjects on managing their stress level using a variety of stress management techniques such as progressive relaxation. Group 2 met once a week as a support group; SM techniques were not introduced All subjects were required to report training, illnesses, progression/regression, and any outside stress. SM group identified the stress management techniques they used in their diaries. The recovery or relapse of the subject over the 2-year period was analyzed. Significant differences were found between the SM and control group at 12 months (p<0.01), 18 months (p<0.01), and 24 months (p<0.001) for training level increase, with the SM group reporting increased rates of recovery. There was no significant difference between groups at 6 months, although the SM group reported fewer stress-related symptoms on the life stress inventory, which was consistent throughout the study. Training load significantly increased in the SM group (p<0.01), when compared with the control group. Non-training stress, paired with everyday training stress may contribute to the development of OS. Management of outside stress, using SM techniques, may reduce stress, and lead to recovery from OS, as indicated by training load increasing.

Medical Students’ Experience of and Reaction to Stress: The Role of Depression and Anxiety

Background. Medical school is recognized as a stressful environment that often has a negative effect on students' academic performance, physical health, and psychosocial well-being. Previous studies have not identified differences between depressed and nondepressed and anxious and nonanxious medical students' experiences of stress or their reactions to stressors. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence of depression and anxiety among a sample of 358 medical students attending a private university in Malaysia and to examine differences according to participants' gender, year of study, and stage of training (preclinical and clinical). Additionally, this study examined the extent to which stress predicts depression and anxiety, differences between depressed and nondepressed medical students' experiences of and reactions to stressors, and differences between anxious and nonanxious medical students' experiences of and reactions to stressors. Methods. The Student Life Stress Inventory was used to measure stress and reaction to stressors and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale was used to measure depression and anxiety. Results. The results showed that 44% (n = 158) of the students were anxious and 34.9% (n = 125) were depressed. More female students exhibited anxiety compared to male students. Stress is a predictor for depression and anxiety. A significant difference was found between depressed and nondepressed and anxious and nonanxious students' experience of stressors due to frustration, change, and their emotional reaction to stressors. Conclusion. Overall, depressed and anxious students were found to experience more stress and react differently to stressors compared to nondepressed and nonanxious students.

Premenstrual Symptoms and Academic Performance Among Adolescent Girls

Premenstrual syndrome is a psychophysiological stress induced disorder. Stress disturbs the balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Changes in heart rate and blood pressure are the most important physiological response following stress.To correlate the premenstrual symptoms and academic performance among adolescent girls. A correlational survey was adopted for the study Setting: Higher secondary school, NamakkalDistrict. 60adolescentgirlsfulfillingtheinclusioncriteriawereselectedbysimplerandomsamplingtechnique.Allparticipantsweregiven a questionnaire to complete; questions were related to Baseline Proforma of adolescent girls, rating scale on the common premenstrual symptoms, Student life stress Inventory, Academic Demand Distress were given 40 minutes to complete the questionnaire. The findings revealed that, there was significantly higher numbers of symptoms perceived 8.46±2.9 follicular and 7.14±2.8, luteal, p=.001 and higher distress (1.25±0.41 follicular and 1.52±0.31 luteal, p=.003) in the follicular phase than in the luteal phase. The academic demand component of academic stress measured daily frequency and distress associated with assignments, papers, projects/presentation and time studying. Within the follicular phase number of assignments due was significantly correlated to symptom perception and distress (.41, .31, respectively) and the number of projects/presentations due was correlated to symptom distress (.29) at p&lt;.05. There were significant correlations between follicular phase symptom perception and distress, and luteal phase symptom distress with academic demand distress. There was significant correlation between premenstrual symptoms and academic performance.

Influência de gênero, idade e renda sobre o bem-estar de idosos cuidadores e não cuidadores

OBJETIVOS: Comparar idosos cuidadores e não cuidadores quanto às condições de saúde, psicossociais e de desempenho funcional e conhecer a influência das variáveis socioeconômicas sobre estes grupos. MÉTODO: Estudo envolvendo idosos residentes de três cidades brasileiras - Parnaíba-PI, Campinas-SP e Ivoti-RS - com base nos dados do estudo FIBRA. A amostra foi composta de 676 idosos, 338 cuidadores e 338 não cuidadores. Os cuidadores responderam afirmativamente a duas questões sobre a prestação de cuidado no Elders Life Stress Inventory. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: versões brasileiras da Geriatric Depression Scale, da Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, da escala de atividades instrumentais de vida diária (AIVD), de 13 itens de atividades avançadas de vida diária e escala de satisfação com a vida. Foram aplicadas questões de autorrelato sobre idade, gênero, renda familiar, número de doenças e fadiga. RESULTADOS: Os cuidadores compuseram 29,7% da amostra. A tarefa de cuidar era mais frequente entre as mulheres (65,7%), os idosos de 65 a 74 anos e os de menor renda familiar. Houve frequência maior de queixa de insônia entre os cuidadores comparados com os não cuidadores (p=0,013). Para os grupos, ser mais pobre significou maior frequência de insônia e de dependência em AIVD, além de mais sintomas depressivos entre os cuidadores (p=0,24). As mulheres eram as mais doentes e os homens os mais isolados socialmente. Os cuidadores mais velhos reportaram maior grau de dependência em AIVD (p=0,015). CONCLUSÃO: Circunstâncias socioeconômicas podem contribuir para desfechos negativos sobre as condições de saúde física e bem-estar psicológico, especialmente entre os cuidadores.

Effects of Academic Stress and Perceived Social Support on the Psychological Wellbeing of Adolescents in Ghana

The purpose of this study was to examine how academic stress and perceived social support influence the psychological wellbeing of Senior High School students in Ghana. Two hundred and twenty six male and female students participated. The general health questionnaire, student life-stress inventory and perceived social support from family and friends scales were used to assess psychological wellbeing, academic stress and perceived social support respectively. The results indicated that perceived social support buffered the effects of academic stress on psychological wellbeing. Girls reported higher scores on perceived social support but reported more depression. Boys reported higher academic stress and better psychological wellbeing, and these have been attributed partly to the socialisation role of gender. These results have policy implications in respect of the creation of a cordial school environment as well as encouraging a healthy interpersonal relationship between adolescents and their family and friends with the aim of reducing academic stress appraisal which is inimical to the psychological wellbeing of adolescents.

Stressful Life Events and Psychological Well-being in a Brazilian Sample of Older Persons: The Role of Resilience

The study aimed to identify the most frequent stressful life events that older persons experience while identifying the most stressful ones. It also aimed to test the hypothesis that resilience moderates the impact of stressful events on older persons’ well-being. The sample included 111 participants, ranging from 56 to 85 years, living independently in the community. Participants answered a demographic questionnaire, the Elders Life Stress Inventory, the shortened Psychological Well-Being Scales, and the Resilience Scale. Stressful events were analyzed according to their frequency and intensity. A mean of five events were reported by participants regarding their experiences over the last year. The most frequent events were memory deterioration, deterioration in health/behavior of a family member, death of a friend/family member, decrease in recreational activities, and personal injury/illness. The most stressful events were divorce/marital separation, parent institutionalization, and child, spouse or parent death. A main effect of resilience was found, high resilience being associated with higher well-being. A main effect of stressful events was also found, high stress being associated with less well-being. However, the interaction between resilience and stressful events did not yield a significant result. Interpersonal variations regarding psychological well-being in response to stressful life events may reveal that older people manifest different degrees of resilience, which in turn could help to reduce the impact of stress. This is an important aspect for successful aging which requires further research in order to find out factors which may enhance resilience in adversity, to promote positive outcomes through the life span.

The thyroid function of Graves' disease patients is aggravated by depressive personality during antithyroid drug treatment

BackgroundWe previously reported that depressive personality (the scores of hypochondriasis, depression and psychasthenia determined by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)) and daily hassles of Graves' disease (GD) patients treated long trem with antithyroid drug (ATD) were significantly higher in a relapsed group than in a remitted group, even in the euthyroid state. The present study aims to examine the relationship among depressive personality, emotional stresses, thyroid function and the prognosis of hyperthyroidism in newly diagnosed GD patients.MethodsSixty-four untreated GD patients responded to the MMPI for personality traits, the Natsume's Stress Inventory for major life events, and the Hayashi's Daily Life Stress Inventory for daily life stresses before and during ATD treatment.ResultsIn the untreated thyrotoxic state, depressive personality (T-scores of hypochondriasis, depression or psychasthenia greater than 60 points in MMPI) were found for 44 patients (69%). For 15 (23%) of these patients, the scores decreased to the normal range after treatment. However, depressive personality persisted after treatment in the remaining 29 patients (46%). Normal scores before treatment were found for 20 patients (31%), and the scores were persistently normal for 15 patients (23%). The remaining 5 patients (8%) had higher depressive personality after treatment. Such depressive personality was not associated with the severity of hyperthyroidism. Serum TSH receptor antibody activity at three years after treatment was significantly (p = 0.0351) greater in the depression group than in the non- depression group. The remission rate at four years after treatment was significantly (p = 0.0305) lower in the depression group than in the non- depression group (22% vs 52%).ConclusionThe data indicate that in GD patients treated with ATD, depressive personality during treatment reflects the effect of emotional stress more than that of thyrotoxicosis and that it aggravates hyperthyroidism. Psychosomatic therapeutic approaches including antipsychiatric drugs and/or psychotherapy appears to be useful for improving the prognosis of hyperthyroidism.

A Multivariate Analysis of Clinical Severity, Psychological Distress and Psychopathological Traits in Psoriatic Patients

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease associated with problems in body image and self-esteem and feelings of stigma and shame. The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical extent of psoriasis and its association with psychological distress, and to compare the psychopathological traits in early-onset (type I: age of onset < 40 years) vs. late-onset (type II: age of onset > 40 years) psoriasis. A total of 140 patients participated in the study; 70 patients with confirmed diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris and 70 patients as a comparative group. A battery of psychological instruments was used together with an Inventory of life stress events. The severity of psoriasis was assessed by standardized Psoriasis Area and Severity Index measure. The Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory showed the significant correlation with clinical extent of psoriasis and other measures of psychological distress. Patients with late-onset psoriasis had more prominent symptoms of depression compared with the group with early-onset psoriasis and the comparative group. The results of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-201 for the patient group with late-onset psoriasis showed a specific configuration of neurotic triad.

Impact of Psoriasis on Quality of Life: Relationship between Clinical Response to Therapy and Change in Health-related Quality of Life

Psoriasis exerts significant, negative, impact on patients' quality of life (QOL). Recently, the relationship between QOL and skin lesion improvement has been emphasized in the treatment of psoriasis patients. The purpose of study was to compare the QOL in psoriasis and other skin diseases, and to evaluate the generic QOL, skin specific QOL, stress, depression and anxiety before and after treatment in patients. A total of 138 patients with psoriasis were recruited in this study and 83 patients complete the questionnaire at week 16. Questionnaires were comprised of generic WHO QOL scale, dermatology specific questionnaires (Skindex-29), psoriasis life stress inventory (PLSI), Beck depression inventory (BDI), and Beck anxiety inventory (BAI). Clinical response was assessed by the PASI. After treatment, health-related QOL was improved and PASI improvement showed smaller correlation with Skindex-29, compared with the correlations between self-reported severity score (SRSS) improvement and Skindex-29. Regression analysis revealed that duration, SRSS, stress, and depression were factors affecting baseline HRQOL in patients, and age, duration, and SRSS were predictors associated with HTQOL score changes. Treatment improved HRQOL, BAI, BDI, and PLSI scores. Psoriasis may become more burdensome in groups of patients who suffer long disease duration, high SRSS, depression, and stressful environments.

The role of stress and coping strategies in the emergence of asthma, and the moderating effects of gender in this illness

It has been suggested that stress and individual's reaction to it, can play an important role in emergence, intensification and maintenance of asthma. The present study investigated the role of stress and coping strategies in the emergence of asthma and the moderating effects of gender in this illness. 40 asthmatic (20 males, 20 females) and 40 normal subjects (20 males, 20 females) participated in this study. The two groups based on demographic variables were matched. Then, they were studied by The Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), Holms-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The results showed that the patients with asthma had higher stress rates in comparison with normal group, and they generally use problem-focused coping strategies less than normal subjects. No differences between men and women were found. It is likely, therefore, the education of appropriate reaction to stress may be effective in the prevention and treatment of asthma. Various approaches to enhance the problem-focused coping styles are discussed.

STRESS

Objectives: To assess different level of stress and reaction to those stressors among undergraduate medical students andalso observe an association between different academic years, if any exists. Design of the study: Cross-sectional study. Settings: IslamicInternational medical college- a private medical college in Rawalpindi. Period: From 2006 to 2007. Material &amp; methods: Questionnaire usedwas a stress inventory called students life stress inventory. It was distributed to all registered MBBS students at IIMC in years 1- 5 whovoluntarily participated. 403 out of 500 students completed the questionnaire with response rate 81.6%. Results: Data was analyzed throughSPSS by applying different statistical tests, which were ANOVA, and t test. Results reveal that 21.53% students were mildly stressed, 39.12%students were moderately stressed and 12.64% students were severely stressed. Significant gender differences were found on almost all thesub-scales. The findings reveal that females face more stressors especially conflicts, emotional and behavioral (p &lt; .01), stress was moresignificant between boarders as compare to non-boarders. One Way Analyses of variance (ANOVA) was computed to check the significanceof differences on mean scores. An analysis of variance on Student Life Stress Inventory is significant, F = (3.774), p &lt;.01. Mean differenceindicates that prevalence of stress is higher in first year and final year MBBS students. Conclusion: This study presents pragmatic evidenceregarding the psychological health of students in our college. These findings suggest that high levels of stress exist in our students especiallysignificant during first and final years of their course. It is important for us to know the prevalence and causes of student stress, which not onlyaffects their health, but also their academic achievement. Information from this study can be used to develop appropriate intervention programsfor medical students, in order to decrease their stress leve

Global Self-Rated Health Status Predicts Reasons for Living Among Older Adults

ABSTRACT This study examined predictors of reasons for living among community-dwelling older adults (N = 104, M age = 69.7 years). Participants completed the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the Elders Life Stress Inventory (ELSI), the Life Orientation Test (LOT), and the Reasons for Living Inventory, and also rated their global health status. Standard multiple regression assessed the extent to which age, depression, stress, optimism, and health status predicted total reasons for living. The model explained 12% of the variance in reasons for living (R 2 = .12, p < .05). Health made the strongest unique and significant contribution to RFL (β = 0.26, p < .05) and age approached significance (β = −0.19, p = .055). The GDS, ELSI, and LOT all made minimal and non-significant contributions. An implication is that attention to physical health status should be a standard part of suicide risk assessment, especially among older adults. Results suggest that reduced quality of life due to poor overall health may erode an individual's protective factors against suicide.

Quality of life in psoriasis: A study from south India

Psoriasis can have a profound impact on a patient's quality of life. Very few Indian studies have examined this aspect of Indian patients of psoriasis. This study was conducted to assess the clinical severity, as well as physical and psychosocial disability, and stress incurred and to analyze their interrelationship in psoriasis patients aged more than 18 years. This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology, JIPMER, Pondicherry, India. Clinical severity, physical and psychosocial morbidity, and the stress incurred were measured using psoriasis area severity index (PASI), psoriasis disability index (PDI), and psoriasis life stress inventory (PLSI) respectively, the latter two of which were suitably modified and translated into the local language, viz., Tamil. Appropriate tests were conducted using SPSS for Windows (Release 7.5.1) statistical software. Fifty patients (34 males, 16 females) were included in the study. The clinical PASI scores correlated significantly with the overall physical disability (PDI), individual aspects of the PDI (except the treatment-related activities), and the measurement of stress incurred (PLSI). A PASI score of more than 18 delineated a subgroup of patients with higher overall physical disability and higher stress rating. Among the physical and psychosocial factors investigated, daily activities, employment, and treatment were reported to be affected the most. Psoriasis sufferers are also most likely to feel self-conscious, be disturbed / inconvenienced by the shedding of the skin, live in a constant fear of relapse, and avoid social interactions. The present study provides compelling evidence that psoriasis affects the quality of life, and it highlights the importance of adopting a multidimensional assessment of psoriasis.

A preliminary study of perceived stress in adults with intellectual disabilities according to self‐report and informant ratings

Background Stress is a major risk factor for mental health problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities, however few studies on stress have been conducted that take into account the perspective of both the person with the disability and the caregiver. The present study evaluated an informant version of the Lifestress Inventory, and compared it to the self‐report version.Method Seventy individuals with intellectual disability paired with their caregivers completed the Lifestress Inventory, the Inventory of Negative Social Interactions and the Birleson Depression Scale.Results Informant and self‐report ratings on the Lifestress Inventory were internally reliable, showed modest agreement with each other and correlated with the Negative Social Interactions and Depression measures. The most troublesome stressors reported by informants and self‐reports differed, however, and families tended to agree more with self‐reports than did staff informants.Conclusions The informant version of the Lifestress Inventory is a suitable parallel instrument but not a replacement for self‐reports.

Measuring quality of life of patients with different clinical types of psoriasis using the SF-36

Different specific and generic instruments are used to evaluate quality of life in dermatology, but their interrelationship is not well known. To describe the quality of life in patients with different clinical types of psoriasis using the 36-item short form of the Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire (SF-36), and to study its correlation with dermatology-specific instruments. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 380 inpatients with psoriasis. SF-36 mean scores were compared with the norms for medical and psychiatric disorders. Quality of life was also measured by both dermatology-specific (Skindex-29 and Dermatology Life Quality Index, DLQI) and psoriasis-specific instruments (Psoriasis Disability Index, PDI, and the Impact of Psoriasis Questionnaire, IPSO). A specific (Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory, PLSI) and a generic (12-item General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-12) measure of psychological distress was also used. A cluster analysis was performed to study the relationship among the different questionnaires. Our study population showed SF-36 physical health scores similar to minor medical conditions (e.g. physical functioning 79 for psoriasis, 80 for minor medical conditions, and 57 for severe medical conditions), but mental health scores quite similar to psychiatric illnesses (e.g. mental health 57 for psoriasis, 81 for minor medical conditions, 79 for severe medical conditions, and 53 for psychiatric conditions). The SF-36 showed two distinct patterns of impairment of quality of life, with a greater burden of disease for palmoplantar, pustular and arthropathic psoriasis. SF-36 scales tended to form separate clusters from the other dermatology-specific quality of life instruments. A generic quality of life instrument (e.g. the SF-36) provides information that is complementary to that derived from dermatological questionnaires, and may give further insight in the evaluation of the burden of psoriasis.

Age, gender, quality of life and psychological distress in patients hospitalized with psoriasis

Psoriasis has a great impact on the quality of life of patients, and the ageing population is an important public health issue. To investigate whether older patients with psoriasis have a different impairment in quality of life compared with younger patients, considering level of severity, duration of disease, gender and psychological distress. The study was performed between February 2000 and February 2002 at the inpatient wards of the Dermatological Institute IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy, in the framework of a large project on clinical, epidemiological, emotional and quality of life aspects of psoriasis (IMPROVE study). This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study, with measures of quality of life (Skindex-29, Dermatology Life Quality Index and Psoriasis Disability Index) and of psychological distress, generic (12-item General Health Questionnaire) and psoriasis-related (Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory), all self-assessed by patients. We compared the mean scores of each quality of life instrument in patients aged < 65 years and >/= 65 years, in subsets of patients based on clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. We analysed 936 patients hospitalized at IDI-IRCCS with a diagnosis of psoriasis. Quality of life was significantly more impaired in the older group for all the Skindex-29 scales, and psychological distress was higher in older patients. In particular, older women suffering from anxiety or depression had the greatest impairment in quality of life. The results were somewhat different using the other quality of life instruments. These results should alert dermatologists that similar levels of clinical severity in psoriasis may be associated with different levels of quality of life and psychological distress of patients. Particular attention should be devoted to older patients, and especially to older women.

Lifestyle of Nordic people with psoriasis

The Nordic Quality of Life Study was undertaken to assess the relationship between psoriasis and the quality of life in Nordic countries. The intention was also to determine whether there was a relationship between drinking, smoking, and the use of psychotherapeutic agents on the one hand, and psoriasis severity and quality of life on the other. A questionnaire was mailed to 11,300 members of the Nordic Psoriasis Associations. Additional psoriasis patients were recruited by dermatologists (387) or admitted to dermatologic wards (385). These patients also underwent a physical examination, and their Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was determined. The questionnaire included the Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI), Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory (PLSI), and additional questions on disease severity, treatment, and psoriasis arthritis. It also included questions regarding lifestyle issues, such as smoking, alcohol use, and the use of tranquilizers, antidepressants, and sleeping medications. The response rate for members was 50.2%. Included in the evaluation were 6497 patients. Men drank significantly more beer and liquor than women. The number of beers per day had a weak correlation with the PDI. Wine consumption, however, showed a weak, but significant, negative correlation with both PDI and PLSI. Patients admitted to dermatologic wards smoked more cigarettes and drank less wine than the other two groups. Significant differences were found between countries with regard to total alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. The number of cigarettes and the use of tranquilizers, sleeping medications, and antidepressants showed small, but significant, positive correlations with psoriasis quality of life measures. Cigarette smoking and the use of tranquilizers, sleeping medications, and antidepressants are statistically correlated with impaired psoriasis-related quality of life.

Differential effects of everyday stress on the episodic memory test performances of young, mid-life, and older adults

This research explored the differential association of everyday stress with the episodic memory test performances of young, mid-life, and older adults. Participants included 98 community-dwelling adults ranging in age from 19–89 years. Everyday stress was assessed via the Perceived Stress Scale and the Elder Life Stress Inventory. A brief battery of episodic memory tasks was administered which included tests of Logical Memory, Verbal Paired Associates, Digit Symbol Substitution, and Digit Symbol Incidental Learning. Results suggest that everyday hassles and irritations as well as the accumulation of challenging life events may exacerbate age-related decline on episodic memory tests that require greater executive resources and more integrated and elaborative processing. The functional relationship between affective status and risk for dementia is discussed, and consideration of individual differences in everyday stress is suggested so as to allow more sensitive interpretation of episodic memory tests commonly used to discern mild cognitive impairment.

Academic Stress Among College Students: Comparison of American and International Students.

This study compared academic stressors and reactions to stressors between American and international students using Gadzella’s Life Stress Inventory (B. M. Gadzella, 1991). Five categories of academic stressors (i.e., frustrations, conflicts, pressures, changes, and self-imposed) and four categories describing reactions to these stressors (i.e., physiological, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive) were examined. The sample consisted of 392 international and American students from 2 Midwestern universities. American students reported higher self-imposed stressors and greater behavioral reactions to stressors than international students. Respondent’s status (American or international) and interaction of status and stressors emerged as the 2 strongest predictors of their behavioral, emotional, physiological, and cognitive reaction to stressors. Five stressors attained statistical significance in the regression model. The findings emphasize the need to recognize cultural differences in stress management. Implications for mental health providers in the university arena are discussed.