AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
STRESS LEVEL COMPARISON OF PARTICIPANTS ACCORDING TO THEIR AGE, GENDER AND
THE REGION
a
KAROL KOVÁČ,
b
ANDREA BARANOVSKÁ
University off Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Department of
Psychology, J. Herdu 2, Trnava, Slovakia
email:
a
karol.kovac@ucm.sk,
b
andrea.baranovska@ucm.sk
Abstract: Background - Stress has become a natural part of our lives. To some degree,
it plays a motivating role, on the other side, when it comes to its long-term influence,
it is reflected negatively not only in human behaviour but also in physiognomy of
a man. Phenomenon of the stress has been analyzed and discussed for ages (Lazarus,
1936, 1966; Glasser, 1984; McGuigan, 1999) and the scientists also deal with
its diversified impacts regarding the age and gender of human beings. Method - The
examination was executed with an apparatus based on HRV analysis (heart rate
variability) that analyzes the heart frequency. During 3 minute period of time the
apparatus analyses the course of pulse frequency, time deviations between particular
beats of heart and the number of probable cardiac arrhytmias. The analysis is recorded
in HRV tachograph in the course of all measurements. Based on the measured data,
the following indicators have been calculated: the current stress level in organism, the
level of activation of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, index of
exhaustion, balance in autonomous nervous system, experienced rate of psychic
(emotional) and physical stress and the level of stress resistance. Result - There were
no significant gender differences found in the rate of physical and psychic stress, still
there was some percentual difference recorded between men and women.
Considerable differences have been shown among respondents in the category - their
place of living (region). Conclusion - Our treatise has been dealing with the
comparison of the stress level in dependence on age, gender and dwelling place of
respondents.
Keywords: Stress, physical stress, emotional stress, stress resistance.
1 Introduction
Stress not only impacts people psychically (by means of anxiety
or depression), but also physically. Physical stress symptoms can
be presented in forms galore - starting with peptic ulcers, up to
serious cardial problems (Minirth, Hawkins, Meier, Flournoy,
1986, p. 16). The stress also negatively correlates with the level
of satisfaction at work (Jex, 1998, Kasáčová, 2002; Paulík, 2010;
Maslach, Leiter, 1997) and labour performance (Jex, 1998;
McGuigan, 1999). Stress and its overall impact on a life of
people can cause, besides other things, reduction in the human
production (Glasser, 1984; McGuigan, 1999). Selye (1974)
defined the stress as “a non-specific answer of human body to
the threat“ (p.27). Through the endocrynological indexes he
pointed out and described some biological answers of organisms
to the stress itself. Selye elaborated his theory of general
adaptation syndrome GAS that includes three stages:
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion (Selye, 1983, p.4).
Cannon (1915) used this term in connection to external impacts
that negatively influence the homeostasis of organisms.
Coherence between external conditions that was designed by
Selye in his theory was later described by Grinker and Spiegel
who also added physiological and psychic characters of that
impacts (19
45). In Slovakia, Nákonečný (1995) defines stress as
an influence of extremely strong stimulation during a long
period of time or as a necessity to remain in insufferable
situation which cannot be avoided. Vágnerová (1999)
understands the stress as a state of extreme burden and
consequently the threat for a human body. Hennig and Keller
(1995) describe the stress as a psycho-physical reaction to any
external and internal stressors. Brockert (1993) offers an
alternative model and he says that stress as such starts to exist in
the situations when human aims in their lives differ from their
needs. This means that a human being does not live in natural
coherence with one´s own needs. Čírtková (2000) believes that
stress is a conflict between external demands and the capability
of particular person to face them.
In our treatise we understand the stress not only as a reaction to
the influence of both internal and external stressors, but also as
a state that is conditioned by cognitive processing of particular
stress reaction and the previous experience in close connection
with situational factors.
2 Research questions
In accordance with our research design we have created the
following questions:
1.
What is the overall level of psychic (emotional) and
physical stress and the exhaustion index in the group of all
respondents in regard to the place of their living (region
where they live)?
2.
What is the relation between the age, the stress score,
average heartbeat and the number of arrhytmias in the
group of our respondents?
3.
What are the differences between measured indicators in
regard to the gender?
3 Methods and Methodology
3.1 Participants
There were 881 people from 24 districts of Slovakia
participating in our measurements. In the following table we
show the percentual distribution of respondents according to the
districts of Slovakia.
Tab 1 Distribution of participants according to their place of
living (region)
District
Number Percentage
Myjava
44
5,0
Dubnica nad Váhom
37
4,2
Považská Bystrica
36
4,1
Holíč
45
5,1
Šamorín
35
4,0
Sereď
38
4,3
Malacky
43
4,9
Senec
38
4,3
Pezinok
41
4,7
Ružomberok
40
4,5
Námestovo
40
4,5
Čadca
38
4,3
Prešov
41
4,7
Humenné
35
4,0
Poprad
32
3,6
Zvolen
30
3,4
Lučenec
42
4,8
Banská Bystrica
33
3,7
Šaľa
37
4,2
Levice
31
3,5
Nové Zámky
30
3,4
Krompachy
37
4,2
Michalovce
37
4,2
Rožňava
21
2,4
Total
881
100,0
From the point of view of gender share we had 679 females
(77.1%) and 202 males (22.9%) in our research. The youngest
participant was just 14 and the oldest one 91 year old. The
average age of all respondents was 49.88 (SD=16,186). The
most numerous age category was between 30-49 followed by
category 50-64 what was 69% out of all participants.
3.2 Design
In our measurements we concentrated on the following
variables: stress score, average heartbeat, number of
arrhythmias, exhaustion index, physical and emotional stress and
the last but not the least was the stress resistance. Not a single
tested person was on psychopharmacs, none of them used a
cardiac stimulator (pacemaker). Our research-testing was
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