Stress and Anxiety: Application to Life Span Development and Health Promotion

Over the course of a lifetime, people are vulnerable to stress and anxiety in various domains, which may lead to impaired well-being and deteriorated health. To address both aspects, this book comprises two parts which deal with stress, anxiety and coping (1) over the life span and (2) in the context of health promotion. Part one is concerned with stressful person-environment interactions and the ways stress impact upon individual and group functioning in different life phases. For example, sources of adolescents' stress may include school demands and frustrations due to sexuality, while stress among the elderly might be caused by negative thoughts and feelings about physical deterioration and social isolation. Part two is dedicated to recent research on health promotion. Over time, stress and anxiety may lower resistance and make people more vulnerable to illness. From that perspective, antecedents, side effects and consequences of stress that may cause limitations in physical and psychological functioning are investigated, leading to a variety of serious health problems.