Description

For your final assignment, you will research a specific area of stress and its impact on human functioning. Some examples of the areas you may research are listed below:

Stress and Loss (Grief, death of a loved one)

Stress and Parenting (Single Parenting, parenting adolescents, parenting and divorce)

Stress and Marriage (Conflict & communication, infidelity, long-distance relationships)

Stress and Military Service (PTSD, frequent relocation, impact on families and marriages)

Stress and Medical Crisis (accidents and injuries, life-changing events, long-term illness, terminal diagnoses)

Stress and Trauma (Significant adverse life events, short and long-term impacts, PTSD)

Stress and Addiction (Safety risks, impact on families, effects on employment and stability, self-concept)

Stress and Aging (Declining health, emotional and physiological components, supporting aging parents)

Stress and Higher Education (Impact on health and wellness, financial components, workload)

Stress and Employment (Unemployment, job dissatisfaction, job demands versus rewards)

Stress and Social Media (expectations, cyber-bullying, image and portrayal, social tension)

Stress and Secondary Trauma (e.g. medical providers, educators, counselors and the impact of hearing about the trauma and stress of others)

While this is not a comprehensive list of potential areas for focus, it provides some starting points. Feel free to select a more specific category within one of these areas (e.g. workplace harassment and stress) or to select a different area and obtain approval from your instructor.

After selecting your area of focus, research stress and its specific relationship to your chosen scenario. Respond to the following prompts:

Describe your area of focus. Why is it important to research this area? Why is it important to examine stress in this area?

Review of the Literature

Summarize the research studies you have identified. How do they relate to concepts of stress and human functioning?

Biological, Psychological, Social, and Spiritual Approaches

How might stress in your selected area of focus specifically impact each of these areas? Support your statements with literature and the course text (Harrington, 2013).

What could be the negative impacts of stress in each of these four areas for someone facing your selected scenario? Specifically examine the implications of stress in these areas for health & disease.

Stress Management

Identify at least three evidence-based strategies for coping with stress that would effectively support someone in your selected area of focus.

Provide examples of appraisal and re-appraisal that might be effective for management of stress in your chosen area of focus.

Conclusion & Biblical Perspective