CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 1

Causes and Effects of Stress

Sirinda Yingumnuay
Mahidol University International Demonstration School

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 2
Abstract
This research focused on the causes and effects from stress and how the environment
related to feelings and emotions of people at Mahidol University International Demonstration
School (MUIDS) in Salaya. Surrounded environment and background information were
inquired. There were two methods utilized to gathering data from the research. Survey was
executed on participants at MUIDS. The survey is a kind of test which was tested on the
responses of the participants in the different situation; sound, awareness, and pressure by
clock sound. Interview were preceded to two interviewees who answering about the causes
and effects from stress, how the environment related to people moods and stress levels, and
the benefits of being stress. The research suggested that stress is anything that makes people
feel upset or unbalance. Stress affects both body and mind, and stress can affect both short
and long term which can lead to serious problems. Therefore, nearly most people were
responses to the stress because of changes of the environment and situation, and main cause
of stress in women opinion is social pressure while men opinion is fear and awareness.
However, some information cannot analyze due to the lurking variables.
Introduction
In modern world, lots of people are experiencing high level of stress. Many of them
don't really know the causes of stress which is hard to control and cope with stress. So people
leave stress to continue in their mind which can be harmful to mental and physical terms.
However little amount of stress is good to body, but most people don't know about this. This
paper will identify the causes of stress, explain how student and teacher in MUIDS in Salaya
respond to stress, and how stress affect them.


CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 3
Literature Review
Cause of Stress
According to Guide to Psychology (1997-2013), clarified stress was anything that can
cause conscious or unconscious anger, a fear of love, a lack of forgiveness, and disappointed
(para 5). However little amount of stress can be healthy and help you to adaptive in each
situation (para. 4). National Geography Channel (2013), brain games, tested people with each
differ environment. Loud and noisy place can caused more stress than usual. People
performance tasks better when received positive comments than negative comments. Stress
under limited time with alarm and clock sound make people get more easily crazy and
decrease short term memories. Also people get more stress when they fear, under pressure, or
have to make a decision (Stress test part. 2-3). HUCCA (2011) have identified the top ten
causes of extreme human stress. Death of love one, Childhood Trauma, Divorce, Finances,
Employment, Poor health, Personal Relationships, Chronically ill Child, Pregnancy, and
Danger and Fear, in order (para 3). Little amount of stress is good, but most people are under
the high levels of stress. National Geography, survey 2011, by the American Psychological
Association found that around 25 percent of American people were experiencing high levels
of stress (over 8 from 10) and around 50 percent were in the mid-levels which score about 4
to 7 out of 10 (para. 2).
Effects from Stress
Stress produces affect to physical, health, and even memories. Help guide (n.d.)
explicated that stress affected moodiness, stomachaches, headaches, etc. Also when people
fear, they will respond to Fight or Flight (SNS) reaction. However many people are respond
with fear by freeze motion (para. 2). Guide To Psychology (1997-2013) reported that most
people are solving stress by anger, which in long term can causes major depressive and
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 4
increase anxiety disorder (para. 2). However, according to Ludwigs research (2012),
sometimes people are not use anger to solving. Most woman show responds Tend and
Befriend to stress. In fact, most men still become aggressive under stress (para. 1). National
Geography Channel (2013) argued that sometimes stress is good. Stress helped human to
survive. Under danger situation, humans body will jack up strength and stamina by
adrenaline, and speed reaction time responded. These will make your body function such as
blood pressure, heart beat, the constriction of blood vessels increase (para. 4) which is similar
to people who under pressure or limited of time (Stress test part. 3).
How Stress work
When people being stress, National Geography Channel (2013) explained that in case
people have little amount of stress, body senses will spot some stress including stimuli and
the amygdale which will alert another part of Hypothalamus. This controls autonomic
nervous system and adrenal glands which create the hormone epinephrine, known as
adrenaline (para. 4). If stress still continues, the hypothalamus will release more
Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) to keep
body alert (para. 5). Cortisol and Adrenaline will affect to physical that make people heart-
rate increase, sweating, hand and feet get cold, etc. (para. 6).
Methods
Survey
A survey (see Appendix A) was conducted on MUIDS teacher and student at MUIDS
in Salaya on 1st April - 4th April. A survey was a stress test, there were 4 parts. First 3 parts
were tested on Stress under different conditions of sound, awareness, and the memory under
pressure. The participants were asked to watch videos from the National Geographic channel
(Brain Game DIY: The stress game, published on 28 Jan 2014; all new brain game! Don't be
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 5
afraid, published on 12 Sep 2013; your memory under stress, published on 20 Jan 2014.) And
rate a score for each of the videos. The last part is questions that ask about their opinion to the
stress and their living environment.
Interview
Two individuals were interviewed for this study. One was Dr Narong Jomsiriwattana,
He was interviewed at Royal Gem Condominium in Club house on 19 April 2014 at 9.06 -
9.13. The interview was about the causes of stress, how environment affects stress level, and
benefits of being stress. Second person was Mrs. Chamlonglak Crumpton, she was
interviewed by an email. The email was sent on 20 April 2014 at 19.31, and replied back at
20.46. The questions were about the effect of stress, the cause of stress, how environment
relates to people moods, and how to cope with stress.
Participants
A total of 20 participants from Mahidol University International Demonstration
school (MUIDS) teachers and students were surveyed and tested for stress. Consent was
acquired from all participants before the test was administered. All participants had a social
connection to the research.
Two individuals were interviewed for this study, Dr.Narong Jomsiriwattana and Mrs.
Chamlonglak Crumpton. Dr.Narong Jomsiriwattana is a doctor. He treats people at clinic in
Bang-Bua-Thong district. His patients are people who are under government care. Mrs.
Chamlonglak Crumpton, Environmental science and social development teacher at MUIDS
who has a PhD in Environmental science and Risk management. She has worked in health
organizations as a project manager in Thailand, as well as working in private organizations as
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 6
a team leader, a supervisor in Health, Social Care Management, Health and safety, and
infection control and food safety in UK.
Results
Survey
The total number of survey participants was 20. According to the result reported that
58% of participants experiencing high level of stress (more than 8 out of 10) from fear, 26%
have high level of stress from pressure that make from clock sound, and 21% have high level
of stress from cars and construction. However, 68% were felt relax when listened nature
sound (Raindrop, water flow sound, etc.) and 36% feel less tense when stop the clock sound.
Moreover, 32% people can manage stress to help their short-term memories. 53% of their
homes are noisy; more than 47% were stressed almost every day, this due to the type of
environment of their home and workplace or school. According to survey, in people opinion,
30% supposed main cause of stress is fear and awareness. 20% predicted from social pressure
and 13% from family issue and pressure or anger. However, most women think that main
cause of stress was social pressure while men think that main cause of stress was fear and
awareness. The responses for both men and women were compared, however no significant
difference was found.





Figure 1: This graph show on the responses of stress level under car crash sound.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 7





Figure 2: This graph show responses of stress level by water flows sound.
Interview
According to the interview, Mrs. Crumpton answered that Stress happens when
people are unable to cope with stress. Stress affects people both short term and long term
which can lead to serious problems. Long-term stress can rewire the brain, leaving more
vulnerable to anxiety and depression. She described, stress also effects on the body, for
instance stress make people breathe harder, this because the hypothalamus signals the
autonomic nervous system and the pituitary gland started to produce epinephrine and cortisol.
Stress in normal physical response to events that make people feel upset or unbalance. When
people sense gander, the bodys defenses kick into high gear in a rapid called automatic
process or fight-or-flight-or-freeze reaction. She also argued that environment related to the
level of stress. For example, noise level can create stress. Noise affects not just ears, but also
hearts, arteries, and stomachs. She suggested some methods to reducing stress levels such as
identify whats causing stress, build strong relationships, walk away when angry, rest the
mind, exercise, meditation etc.
Doctor Narong mentioned that due to the people who is sick, all patients will have
stress, this is an automatic reaction. Stress is a reaction for human to fight with danger, this
because the changing of environment. The changing of environment make people feel unsafe,
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 8
this included loud noise, too much of light, or even too quiet. So, one of the causes of stress is
due to the environment. He discussed, more of stress level can make patients health become
worst, this why doctor have to take care patients mind. However, stress also has good views,
because of stress that makes people from danger and has revolution.
Implication
The results of the survey suggested several trends in the cause and effect from stress.
Survey indicated that most of the participants were get high level of stress from fears and
pressure, and feel relax with the nature sound. Also, most of people experiencing high levels
of stress in daily life which assumption that related to the living environment somehow. This
is unsurprising according to the national geography research that people get more stress when
they fear, under pressure, or have to make a decision, and according to the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health from Mrs. Crumpton suggested that background noise
agitates stress-related issues in some workers. Noise levels can create stress, increase
workplace accident rates, and stimulate aggression and other antisocial behaviors. There were
some interesting thing that predicted about the opinion to the cause of stress between men
and women. Most women thought that the main cause of stress was from social pressure
while men thought that it was from fear and awareness. However, this statement was not
proven due to the possible lurking variables from surveyed on one social group and difficulty
on interviewed makes it complicated to generalize the result to the causes and effects from
stress.
Limitations
There were some of limitations found in the survey test in this study. First, the
research was in small sample size, according to the 20 participants were responded. Nearly all
of the participants in the 13-18 age range; there was 1 participant in 25-35 age range. Besides,
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 9
the survey test was limited on 1 social group which familiar with the researcher, some data
could be bias. The results will show on the responses to only 1 group of people who could be
live in similar living environment and social and education background. The survey test was
asking only the response during the test and opinion without asking background information
of participants which could be change when analyze the results. In addition, the result could
be changed by the environment during the test, this related to some of participants doing test
with disordered and confused with the questions. Another was the limitations in the
interview; one of them was interviewed by email. There were some parts that interviewee
confused with the question and answer wrong points, also some information were not go
deeply as it should be due to the interviewee job and education.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to study about causes and effects from stress and how
was it related to human mind and body. Even if the results were inconclusive, the data
suggests that stress is happened when people were unable to cope with something. The
changes of environment can lead to the rising of stress which makes people upset or feel
unbalance, and stress also affects both physical term and mind. There is one possible
influence on the cause of stress is gender. According to the result, most people predicted that
main cause of stress is from social pressure. However, most of men predicted that main cause
of stress is from fear and awareness. Therefore, to conclude this possible, more information
and research for the social and environment influence should be study more.

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 10
References
Health Grade(Accessed on: 2014, 3 March). Symptoms of Emotional Stress.
Retrieved from: http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/e/emotional_stress/symptoms.htm
HUCCA (Accessed on: 2014, 4 March). Top Ten Cause of Stress.
Retrieved from: http://www.hccua.org/health/healthandwellness.cfm?id=348
Layton, J. (2005, 13 September). How Fear Works. HowStuffWorks.com.
Retrieved from: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/fear.htm
Ludwigs, A. (2012, 21 May). Stress men are more social. Science Daily.
Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521104026.htm
National Geography Channel. (2014, 28 January). Brain Game DIY: The stress game.
Video retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciOLWuMiLEs
National Geography Channel. (2014, 20 January).Your memory under stress.
Video retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKzUSfzqh5A
National Geography Channel. (2013, 12 September). All new brain game! Don't be afraid.
Video retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ThzeOeeLtQ
National Geography Channel (2013, 27 January). Stress Test.
Retrieved from: http://braingames.nationalgeographic.com/episode/5/
Richmond, L.R. (Accessed on: 2014, 28 February). The Psychology About Stress.
Retrieved from: http://www.guidetopsychology.com/stress.htm
Smith, M., Segal, R., Segal, J. (2014, February). Stress Symptoms, Signs and Clauses.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF STRESS 11
Retrieved from: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

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Appendix A
Survey paper











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