After receiving feedback from the initial three articles presented I really understood what was

wanted for these annotated bibliographies. I feel every question was answered to the extent it
was required, and gave a good outline of what each sources information provided.
Annotated Bibliography

Andrew Tilley

UWRT-1103

List of Keywords: Stress, What causes stress, stress in college students, how we can combat
stress, stress impact to the brain/body, PTSD, stressors, ways to identify stressors
1. Segal, Jeanne, Melinda Smith, Robert Segal, and Lawrence Robinson. "Stress Symptoms,
Signs, & Causes." Helpguide.org. N.p., Sept. 2015. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
Jeanne and her co-authors discussed several aspects of stress including ways to deal with
stress, how to identify stressors, and even determining the bodys ability to manage stress. Stress
is defined as the way your body reacts under any degree of threat or demand. When in danger the
nervous system produces stress hormones, such as adrenaline, to prepare the body for emergency
reactions. This is known as the fight or flight response, and is the way your body protects itself in
danger. According to Jeanne Segal, the co-founder of Helpguide.org and an emotional
intelligence expert, When working properly, stress helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert.
In emergency situations, stress can save your lifegiving you extra strength to defend yourself,
for example, or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. Without these
hormones being released throughout the body one would be left vulnerable, or unprepared for
stressful situations. However not all stress is bad. Within your comfort zone stress can keep you
focused on goals that youre trying to reach. Whether it be studying for an upcoming test,
preparing for an important job interview, or presenting a speech to fellow classmates, it keeps
you focused and energized on the task at hand. Stress becomes bad once it becomes

overwhelming. Melinda Smith, a co-author to the article with a Masters degree in psychology,
identifies three ways of how people respond to stress. They are social engagement, mobilization,
and immobilization. The authors also discuss the effects an overload of stress can wreak on the
body.
What causes excessive stress depends, at least in part, on your perception of it. Something that's
stressful to you may not faze someone else; they may even enjoy it.
The situations and pressures that cause stress are known as stressors. We usually think of
stressors as being negative, such as an exhausting work schedule or a rocky relationship.
However, anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful.
While unchecked stress is undeniably damaging, you have more control than you might think.
All in all this article was straight forward. It was completely useful to the question I am
asking because it covers a myriad of ideas pertaining to the question What Causes Stress? It hits
on aspects such as dealing with stress, symptoms of stress, ways to manage stress, and what
causes stress. I feel that students seeking questions about stress should read this article because it
was really helpful in clearing up ideas and even misconceptions. If someone was wanting to
identify stressors that can set on stress hormones they should read this article. It articulates a
detailed list of stressors, and even combines ways to combat them into the list. I feel this article
is going to be useful in the Inquiry Project, and will have a vital take away lesson for the future.

2. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Films on Demand Digital Educational Video. Films Media
Group, 3 May 2009. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

This short film discusses Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and gives an accurate insight on
how it affects peoples lives. The story is based around two separate experiences with two men
living in England. The first man that appears in the film was Steve Costello, a man in his early
thirties who used to be a soldier for England. He was ambushed one evening by the terrorist
organization known as the IRA while attending a dinner for his superior officer. He was shot
several times, while the man that he was with was killed. The next man the film discussed was
Treavor Hicks. Treavor was a father of two girls, with a wife and a happy marriage. The family
pastime was to go watch soccer at their local stadium. It was a semifinals match between two
teams, and the stadium was crowded. People began to rush the field before the game started,
creating chaos. In the end both of Treavors children were crushed to death by the crowd,
triggering his traumatic experience. According to Sheena Liness, the Cognitive Therapy Director
at Maudsley Hospital in England, stated The symptoms of PTSD are obviously very distressing.
The person not only has gone through this traumatic event, they then find themselves reexperiencing the event. They begin to cut themselves off from friends and relatives. And it can
begin to affect their work, social life, family, and financial situation. Sheena is a proclaimed
expert in the field of PTSD, and has spent many years researching it, making her a valid expert
on the topic.
I feel this article pertains to my research paper because it is looking at an exclusive
disorder related to stress. PTSD is by far one of stress dangerous forms because it is more than
just the everyday struggle. I feel this video would help viewers identify if they had PTSD, and
briefly listen to ways in which others are coping with their PTSD. The video was easy to follow,
and I believe very helpful in identifying yet another cause of stress.

3. Deckro, Gloria R., Marilyn Wilcher, Jeffery Dusek, Patricia Myers, Beth Greenburg,
Herbert Benson, David S. Rosenthal, Keli M. Ballinger, and Michael Hoyt.
"Journal of American College Health." The Evaluation of a Mind/Body

Intervention to Reduce Psychological Distress and Perceived Stress in College

Students. PubMed, 24 Mar. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Gloria R. Deckro and her co-authors discussed a study done which involved
college students, and stress. The author analyzed the effect of a 6 week study on
the intervention of anxiety, and perception of stress in college students. 128
students were divided up into two separate groups. 63 students were assigned to
the experimental group, while the other 65 were assigned to a control group so that
the researchers who conducted the experiment would have a constant to base their
outcomes on. The experimental group sat through 6 group sessions which discussed
the relaxation response, and cognitive behavioral skills. To measure their
progression as the experiment ran its course, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised,
Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Perceived Stress Scale were
implemented to test the psychological state of each student before, and after the
experiment. After the experiment was conducted there were significant reductions
in both anxiety level, and stress level were determined. From the initial experiment
the authors felt that the mind and body training was successful, and wanted to run
the experiment again over a longer test period. The targeted audience for this
article was for college students considering the test group consisted of college
students, and is meant to serve college students as a stress aid. Gloria R. Decko,
director of the education initiative with the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard
Medical School, states that Research in college students supports a relationship
with heightened levels of stress and behavioral patterns that may compromise
health. By this she means that through experiencing high levels of stress the body
can physically be impacted.

It is now widely believed that the cause of many disease conditions is a complex interaction
among genetic and behavioral factors, and stress.
In essence, regular practice of the RR increases ones resilience to stress
In fact, many believe that at times stress is caused more by the way we think about a
problem than by the problem itself.
This article was also an easy to read article. The information is straight forward, with
concepts explained in footnotes. The authors included visual tables for their results, which made
it easier to follow the findings of the experiments. This article was applicable to my paper
because it discusses a way to combat stress. Through implementing the mind/body technique
discussed in the article stress could possibly be reduced. I feel this article helps not only with
college students that are experiencing great volumes of stress, but also anyone else who feels
theyre being overloaded. The technique will have the same outcome no matter the age of the
person.

4. "Common Stressors That You Can Encounter Every Day." The Stress Management Society.
N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
In this article related to stress the Stress Management Society, a non-profit aimed at
helping people manage their stress, discussed common stressors that people encountered in their
daily life. They focused in on 5 key stress creating actions let people know what they were. The
list included: Not having enough time, practicing unhealthy habits, getting more than you can
handle, expecting too much, and lastly the depravation of rest and relaxation. When you are
endlessly beating deadlines or running errands, you will most likely feel exhausted at the end of
the day. What you need to do is to rank your priorities so you will know which tasks to do first.
This quote was pulled from the description of the first stressor not having enough time. As I was
pulling information from this article I saw a pattern from recent articles about common
stressors. Not having enough R and R, taking on too much at one time, and practicing unhealthy
habits were all repeated across three separate sources. This indicated to me that these were
indeed stressors to use in my thesis.
Gorging on junk food, smoking, excessive drinking, and not exercising are all factors
that can contribute to physical stress. This is because this kind of lifestyle prevents you from
being able to cope with hardships.

Wanting to impress people is normal, especially in the corporate arena. But taking in
more than you chew is bound for failure. So be honest with yourself and accept only the tasks
that you are confident in doing.
Having high expectations is always a ticket to disappointment; hence, when things do
not work out the way you wanted them, you get upset and stressed out
This article was fairly straightforward in gathering information. The author highlighted
in blue text which stressor was which and immediately under the description on the stressor.
This article is applicable to my inquiry question because it is identifying what causes stress.
Understanding how to identify what causes you stress is a step towards managing it. It would
help people pursuing this question because it identified common stressors in everyday life. Even
if the reader knew the stressors before the article, because a lot of them were obvious, it would
reaffirm, and possibly focus attention to the stressor.

5. "Four Ways to Deal with Stress." American Heart Association - Building Healthier Lives,
Free of Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke. American Heart Association, June 2014.
Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
The American Heart Association, a non-profit devoted to fighting cardiovascular
diseases and stroke, discusses four general ways to combat stress. They broke down the ways to
manage stress into four distinct categories. The first category was positive self-talk. The concept
behind positive self-talk was to turn negative self-talk too positive self-talk. Negative self-talk is
when you think negative things to yourself, such as I cant do this., or Wow you suck at
this. If an individual was capable of turning those negative thoughts into positive ideas then
they would have a method of managing stress. The second way to manage stress was by
implementing emergency stress stoppers in your life. These emergency stress stoppers are
implemented when someone feels like they are too stressed out on the spot. The emergency
stress stoppers ranged from taking three to five deep breaths, to driving on the slow lane to
avoid stress on the streets. They are quick, and usually simple, techniques that if implemented
correctly will manage ones stress level. The third technique to managing stress was to find
pleasure. When life gives you lemons make lemonade is what this method boils down to.

When an individual starts to feel stressed do an activity that takes your mind off it. One will
realize that their stress level will be significantly reduced after the activity has been completed.
The fourth and final method to this list was daily relaxation. This however is not simply kicking
it back after a long days work. As the American Heart Association put it To relieve stress,
relaxation should calm the tension in your mind and body. Some good forms of relaxation are
yoga, tai chi (a series of slow, graceful movements) and meditation. By implementing this
method you will feel focused, energized, and ultimately less stressed.
-When stress makes you feel bad, do something that makes you feel good. Doing things you
enjoy is a natural way to fight off stress.
-To help you feel better, practice positive self-talk every day in the car, at your desk, before
you go to bed or whenever you notice negative thoughts.
-Try these emergency stress stoppers. You may need different stress stoppers for different
situations and sometimes it helps to combine them.
This article was easy to pull knowledge from. Like the recent document each section was
bolded at the main method, and then listed all of its information directly below it. It provided
step by step guides, and multiple helpful techniques at eliminating stress. I believe this article
would be good for people seeking information about this topic. It goes into detail about the
myriad of options one has at their disposal. I felt that this article was targeted at individuals that
were stressed out seeking answers. That would be the reason I visited a site like this.

6. Nesse, Randolph M., and Elizabeth A. Young. "Evolutionary Origins and Functions of the
Stress Response." U-M Personal World Wide Web Server. University of Michigan
Department of Psychiatry, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
Randolph Neese and his co-author Elizabeth Young introduce the origin, and history of
stress. In their article they talk about stress as an evolutionary trait that helped us evolve in the
eyes of Darwinism. The article was split into four different sub-topics to communicate the idea
that stress was an evolutionary trait. The first sub-topic discussed the utility of the stress
response. This utilization doesnt look at its causes, mechanisms, or effects. But rather How
does the stress system give a selective advantage? And What is the evolutionary history of the
stress system? The stress system is a complex, sophisticated, and carefully regulated
adaptation that has been shaped by natural selection because it gives a selective advantage. That
advantage must be substantial in order to outweigh its huge costs. The question they were
analyzing in this article was rather stress was worth the risks it could cause. The next section of
the academic reading was the phylogeny of the stress response. It opened with examining the
stress response across several species of animals. Basically this section was a bunch of scientific

mumbo-jumbo, however I found this quote to be salient Why isnt the stress system better? It
could be more effective, but only at a still greater cost. The idea that the stress system has
evolved since the dawn of man is explained. If the stress response increased the bodys function
more efficiently than it already does, then our bodies would be more susceptible to disease,
injury, and fatigue. The stress response already takes enough out of people currently. Increasing
it could have negative results. The third section discussed how the stress response helped. Im
not going to talk about this section because it introduces ideas already covered by previous
sources. The fourth and final section discussed the how stress was implemented in our primal
ancestors environment, and the modern environment. Some suggest that life is more stressful
now than it was for our predecessors. Special aspects of our environment do cause new kinds of
stress. Working in a bureaucracy is tedious and political at best. Driving to work, living in a
ghetto, running a corporation, working in a factory-these all arouse the stress system. Despite
the amount of stress we experience, however, our ancestors almost certainly experienced more.
With no police, no food reserves, no medicine, no laws, rampant infections, and prevalent
predators, danger could come at any time. As one could see the stress response was a lot more
important to our ancestors than us. The dangers involved in living in that environment called for
a flight or fight response.
This reading was more of a medium difficulty read. The information was laid out in a
clear paragraphs, with little technical wording. However it was in paragraph styled formatting
which is harder to pull information from. This article was relevant to my thesis because it broke
down the origins of stress. By doing so I felt it was easier to understand why we have the stress
response, and ways that the modern environment could trigger stress. I feel anyone who is

researching the origins of stress looking for a reason to why we have this response should view
this article.

7. "Stress and the Brain." Your Amazing Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
This article, presented by the website www.youramazingbrain.org, discussed what
happened inside the body when the brain sensed it needed the stress response. Once your brain
has decided theres a danger, it sends immediate nerve signals down your spinal cord to your
adrenal glands telling them to release the hormone adrenaline. Once released, adrenaline
increases the amount of sugar in your blood, increases your heart rate and raises your blood
pressure As this is occurring the hypothalamus, a section of the brain that controls the bodys
homeostatic systems, sends signals to the pituary gland, another section of the brain. The pituary
gland sends signals through the body to an individuals adrenal cortex. This is where the magic
happens. The adrenal cortex releases a stress hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol is important
because it keeps your blood sugar levels and blood pressure high so than one could escape from
danger. This is the part in the flight or fight response that helps you flee, or stay and fight. The

problem with this however is when cortisol is being released into the body over an extended
period of time. Cortisol has been shown to damage and kill cells in the hippocampus (the brain
area responsible for your episodic memory) and there is robust evidence that chronic stress
causes premature brain aging. As one could imagine killing brain cells is not a good thing since
brain cells only grow back in certain areas of the brain. Stress has also been linked to causing
chronic depression. It's quite clear that chronic stress is related to depression. A common
feature of depression is an excess release of cortisol into the blood. Some neuroscientists and
psychiatrists are now suggesting that the major changes in serotonin and other neurotransmitters
seen in depression are not the cause of depression, but secondary to changes in the stress
response.
This article was an easy source to pull information from. The information that was key
to the website was bolded, with the discussion of the topic directly following the topic. This
source works in to my paper because it discusses what happens on the neurological level when
someone is stressed out. I feel this article would be useful to students seeking answers to the
science behind stress. The article goes into specific detail on what occurs at the neurological
level, and how the body reacts to the stress process.