Abstract :

The aim was to study the difference in stressors experienced, level of stress and coping used between individuals with and without hypertension among rural government school teachers. The sample consisted of both men and women working in rural government schools, married (with at least one child), and aged between 30 to 35 years, with work experience of at least 5 years. A matched group design in terms of age, number of years of experience, gender, socioeconomic status, salary, number of working members working in the family was considered for the study. Over all 30 each of teachers with and without hypertension consuming medication for at least 3 years and below cut off point on General health questionnaire and gave consent to be part of the study were selected for the study. All these individuals were administered Personal Stress Source Inventory, Stress Response Checklist and Coping styles inventory. The results were analysed using t test to study significance of difference in the means of the stressors, stress response and coping used by individual with and without hypertension. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in stressors experienced between the groups, where as there was significant difference in level of stress and coping used. The group with hypertension had significantly higher level of stress response and significantly less use of coping methods indicating that it is the response to stressors and coping methods used that could be related to hypertension than the number of stressors faced by the individual, indirectly indicating that personality and the responses are integral part of disease experienced.

---

Keywords :

Coping, Rural School Teachers and Hypertension, Stress Response., Stressors

---

References :

1. Aktekin M, Karaman T, Senol YY, Erdem S, Erengin H and Akaydin M. Anxiety, depression and stressful life events among medical students: a prospective study in Antalya, Turkey. Med Educ, 2001; 35 (1): 12-7.
2. Firth J. Levels and sources of stress in medical students. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed), 1986; 292 (6529): 1177-80.
3. Folkman S and Lazarus RS. An analysis of coping in a middleaged community sample. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1980: 21; 219-239.
4. Guthrie E, Black D, Bagalkote H, Shaw C, Campbell M and Creed F. Psychological stress and burnout in medical students: a five-year prospective longitudinal study. J R Soc Med, 1998; 91 (5): 237-43.
5. Lazarus RS and Folkman S. Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer, 1984.
6. Lazarus RS. Theory-Based Stress Measurement, Psychology Inquiry, 1990; 1 (1): 3-13.
7. Niemi PM and Vainiomaki PT. Medical students’ academic distress, coping and achievement strategies during the pre-clinical years, Teaching & Learning in Medicine, 1999; 11 (3): 125-134.
8. Park CL and Adler NE. Coping styles as a predictor of health and well-being across the first year of medical school, Health Psychology, 2003; 22 (6): 627-631.
9. Rosenham DL, and Seligman ME. Abnormal psychology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1989.
10. Selye H. Stress without distress. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
11. Sherina MS, Lekhraj R and Nadarajan K. Prevalence of emotional disorder among medical students in a Malaysian university, Asia Pacific Family Medicine, 2003; 2: 213-217.