Stress and Aging

RUNNING HEAD : Aging and Mental Health

Aging and Mental Health-Stress , Culture and Ethnicity Involvement in US

Abstract

The concept of stress and aging has been integrated to explain the probable relationship in the hastening of aging . Various conceptual framework has been utilized in to provide the most possible and accurate framework that should explain the phenomenon of aging . As for this study , the emphasis revolves mainly on cultural and ethnical contributions in stress patterns that significantly contribute to the aging process . With multicultural diversities present in the prime setting of

the study , the United States , the probability of cultural infliction in aging phenomenon is possible . Utilizing the demographical conditions of the setting through a racial perspective , and application of aging theoretical frameworks , the study should form a clear theoretical proposal for aging , stress and culture relationships . Aging and Mental Health-Stress , Culture and Ethnicity Involvement in US

Introduction

Stress has been a significant contributing factor of most illness and various alterations of normal body function (Alessio and Hagerman , 2006 br

.85 . The condition of stress has been thought to afflict the general population most especially the lowest immunity in age group , the elderly . The occurrence of stress is known to cause significant physiological hastening of aging process , which is now an acceptable fact (Zglinicki , 2003

.85 . However , the possible link of aging and stress in considerations of ethnical and cultural dimensions specifically of United States , is known to cause tremendous infliction (Alessio and Hagerman , 2006

.85

Many older adults are faced with situations they perceive as stressful Researchers have identified causes of stress for seniors to include health concerns , loss of family , loss of friends , loss of finances and loss of independence . Many older adults experience unnecessary stress and become used to living a chaotic and unhappy way of life . If they understood the source of their stress , older adults could begin to manage their lives with positive results . The researcher is seeking to discover the cause of stress in older adults , and if there is a difference among the cultural groups . It is known that about thirty-one percent , or 9 .9 million , non-institutionalized older people live alone (Administration on Aging , 1999

Moreover , as the process of stress continues to inflict the physiological status of the body , the acclaimed effect conjures aging process . Several studies have attributed the condition to various illnesses as caused by the degeneration of body physiology . As claimed by studies , aging is one of the results of degeneration caused by stress (Zglinicki , 2003

.107

On the other hand , cultural diversity has been considered as a factual contributor of stress in aging process . Several lifestyle characteristics , economic stature , and environmental associatives form part of the cultural dimensions that conjure stress (Gazzaniga , 2004 br

.1031 . Centering mainly on stress and its associations to cultural diversities primarily in United States , claims have indicated that progression of cultural factors have caused substantial contributions on aging as caused by stress

However , due to the fluid definition of stress...