Types
of Stressors
The level of your stress is affected by many factors, including:
types of stressors (family, marriage, environmental etc.),
severity
(hassles, trauma,
etc.) length of exposure
(acute or chronic), and other things. The more stressors, the more severe they are, and the longer the exposure to them, the more demands are placed upon the person to cope.
Types of Stressors:
Family/Marital: death, chronic illness, divorce, adultery, problem adolescents, etc.
Environmental: death of close friend, living alone, racism, poverty, etc.
Educational: illiteracy, poor academic environment, lack of employment skills, etc.
Occupational: unemployment, lay-offs, rotating shifts, office reorganization, etc.
Housing: homelessness, unsafe neighborhood, landlord or neighbor problems, etc.
Financial: poverty, credit problems, bankruptcy, etc.
Health Care: lack of services, lack of transportation, etc.
Legal: victim of crime, litigation, arrest, incarceration, divorce/custody battles, etc.
Other: natural disasters, war, industrial accidents, etc.
Severity of Stressors:
Mild: relationship breakup (if short term or casual) change of school, dislike of job
Moderate: marital separation, miscarriage, trouble with boss
Severe: divorce, loss of job, parents fighting constantly
Extreme: death of spouse, life threatening illness, sexual abuse
Catastrophic: natural disaster, hostage experience, combat
Acute vs Chronic Stressors:
Acute: relationship breaking up, starting new school, separation, divorce, death of spouse, victim of crime, natural disaster.
Chronic: unsafe neighborhood, continuing marital discord, unemployment, homelessness, ongoing abuse, captivity
