CHRONIC STRESS IN YOUNG ADULT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN PREDISPOSING FACTORS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev8n5-005Keywords:
Chronic Stress, Young Adults, University Students, Risk FactorsAbstract
Chronic stress has become a significant health problem among young adults, especially in the university context, where academic demands, social pressures, and uncertainties about the future intensify. This study aimed to analyze the main predisposing factors to chronic stress in this population, as well as its implications for mental and physical health. This is a descriptive and qualitative literature review, conducted using the PubMed/MEDLINE and SciELO databases, using descriptors related to psychological stress, young adults, and risk factors, with a time frame between 2010 and 2025. The findings show that chronic stress results from the interaction between multiple factors, including academic overload, weak social support network, inadequate lifestyle habits, and difficulties in accessing mental health services. An association with neuroendocrine and inflammatory alterations resulting from prolonged activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is also observed, contributing to the development of disorders such as anxiety and depression. It is concluded that chronic stress in young adults constitutes a multifactorial and complex phenomenon, demanding integrated prevention and intervention strategies that consider biological, psychological, and social aspects.
Downloads
References
KREDLOW, AM., FENSTER, RJ, LAURENT, ES et al. Córtex pré-frontal, amígdala e processamento de ameaças: implicações para o TEPT. Neuropsychopharmacol. 47, 247–259 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-021-01155-7
BEITER, Rebecca et al. The prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of college students. Journal of Affective Disorders, v. 173, p. 9096, 2015. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad. 2014.10.054.
DANESE, Andrea; MCEWEN, Bruce S. Adverse childhood experiences, allostasis, allostatic load, and age-related disease. Physiology & Behavior, v. 106, n. 1, p. 2939, 2012. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh. 2011.08.019.
GALANTE, Julieta et al. A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Public Health, 2018. PMID: 29422189.
GULLIVER, Amelia; GRIFFITHS, Kathleen M.; CHRISTENSEN, Helen. Perceived barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking in young people: a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry, v. 10, art. 113, 2010. DOI: 10.1186/1471-244X-10-113.
HUNT, Justin; EISENBERG, Daniel. Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college students. Journal of Adolescent Health, v. 46, n. 1, p. 3-10, 2010. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth. 2009.08.008.
LABRAGUE, L. J., DE LOS SANTOS, J. A. A., & FALGUERA, C. C. (2021). Social and emotional loneliness among college students during the COVID‐19 pandemic: The predictive role of coping behaviors, social support, and personal resilience. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 57(4), 1578–1584. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12721
LI, Yiming et al. Mental Health Among College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: A 2-Wave Longitudinal Survey. Journal of Affective Disorders, v. 281, p. 597-604, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad. 2020.11.109.
MAIA, Berta Rodrigues; DIAS, Paulo César. Ansiedade, depressão e estresse em estudantes universitários: o impacto da COVID-19. Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas), v. 37, e200067, 2020. DOI: 10.1590/1982-0275202037e200067.
MUCCI, Nicola et al. Anxiety, Stress-Related Factors, and Blood Pressure in Young Adults. Frontiers in Psychology, v. 7, art. 1682, 2016. DOI: 10.3389 /fpsyg. 2016.01682.
PÊGO, José Miguel et al. Stress and the neuroendocrinology of anxiety disorders. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, 2010. PMID: 21309108.
REGEHR, Cheryl; GLANCY, Dylan; PITTS, Annabel. Interventions to reduce stress in university students: a review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, v. 148 , n. 1, p. 1-11, 2013. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad. 2012.11.026.
ROHLEDER, Nicolas. Stress and inflammation – the need to address the gap in the transition between acute and chronic stress effects. Psychoneuroendocrinology, v. 105, p. 164-171, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.021.
SLIMMEN, Sanne et al. How stress-related factors affect mental wellbeing of university students: A cross-sectional study to explore the associations between stressors, perceived stress, and mental wellbeing. PLOS ONE, v. 17, n. 11, e0275925, 2022. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275925.
SCHOENFELD, TJ. et al. Stress and loss of adult neurogenesis differentially reduce hippocampal volume. Biological psychiatry, v. 82, n. 12, p. 914-923, 2017.
