A Systematic Review of the Impact of Stress on Young Adult Women
Disciplines
Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication | Other Mental and Social Health | Women's Health
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Stress can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, stress is unavoidable and can often be invigorating and energizing. On the other hand, too much stress can turn into a physical, mental, and emotional burden. In fact, today’s mental health crisis has become a silent pandemic in the lives of young women. In addition to “normal” stressors that we all face, young women are disproportionately affected by mental health issues simply due to all the other inherent stressors and inequalities that come with being a girl or woman in the world today. This study entails conducting a systematic review of peer-reviewed research conducted within the past 5 years focusing on stress and women ages 18-35. Issues related to risk factors, diagnosis, coping, treatment, and long-term impacts were considered. We started with citations from electronic searches and from examination of reference lists of primary review articles using mostly MEDLINE and Psych (n=~1000); retrieving full manuscripts for detailed evaluation; excluding any reviews/commentaries; cross sectional studies; stress is not the only exposure factor; etc. Information was coded, including country, year, study design, study population characteristics, total sample size, stress measurement methods of these studies, and outcome data., resulting in a final sample of 15-20 studies. We will conduct a supplemental exploratory survey about KSU women students (N=50) to compare to the results of the systematic review, especially on how mindfulness and gratitude play a role in decreasing stress. The results better describe stress among young women, particularly about the effectiveness of internal coping mechanisms as young women learn to navigate daily and long-term stressors. Considering the high incidence of reported stress as well as the complex interplay between gender and life events, this study highlights the need for additional research to support gender equality in mental healthcare.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Health Promotion and Physical Education
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Evelina Sterling
A Systematic Review of the Impact of Stress on Young Adult Women
Stress can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, stress is unavoidable and can often be invigorating and energizing. On the other hand, too much stress can turn into a physical, mental, and emotional burden. In fact, today’s mental health crisis has become a silent pandemic in the lives of young women. In addition to “normal” stressors that we all face, young women are disproportionately affected by mental health issues simply due to all the other inherent stressors and inequalities that come with being a girl or woman in the world today. This study entails conducting a systematic review of peer-reviewed research conducted within the past 5 years focusing on stress and women ages 18-35. Issues related to risk factors, diagnosis, coping, treatment, and long-term impacts were considered. We started with citations from electronic searches and from examination of reference lists of primary review articles using mostly MEDLINE and Psych (n=~1000); retrieving full manuscripts for detailed evaluation; excluding any reviews/commentaries; cross sectional studies; stress is not the only exposure factor; etc. Information was coded, including country, year, study design, study population characteristics, total sample size, stress measurement methods of these studies, and outcome data., resulting in a final sample of 15-20 studies. We will conduct a supplemental exploratory survey about KSU women students (N=50) to compare to the results of the systematic review, especially on how mindfulness and gratitude play a role in decreasing stress. The results better describe stress among young women, particularly about the effectiveness of internal coping mechanisms as young women learn to navigate daily and long-term stressors. Considering the high incidence of reported stress as well as the complex interplay between gender and life events, this study highlights the need for additional research to support gender equality in mental healthcare.