Stressors, Stress Response and Coping Among Rural School Teachers With and Without Hypertension

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.