Stress and health: Understanding the effects and examining interventions

Modern life is associated with high levels of stress for many people. Stress factors include work, living conditions, financial resources, personal relationships, and the physical or mental health status of the individual and their family members. Many professional groups such as those in public services including healthcare workers are exposed to high levels of stress in the course of their work.

Some people appear to manage high-stress situations without negative effects, and some even report that they thrive on high stress levels, for example, at work. However, other people are unable to manage the stress factors in their lives and report negative responses to stress.

There is research evidence to support associations between specific stressors and physical or mental health problems in different groups of people. There is also increasing research evidence to demonstrate pathways by which children may be negatively affected by maternal experiences of stress, both in utero and throughout development. This can lead to health problems in the next generation. In this way,

the negative effects of stress can become a further burden for individuals and society. Innovative research is being undertaken to find ways to mitigate the effects of unavoidable stress, to improve the health of individuals, and to reduce the cost of stress to society.

This special section will contribute a practical and comprehensive forum for exchanging novel research ideas or empirical practices that bridge the understanding the effects and examining interventions of stress and health.

The 16 original scientific papers selected among large amount of manuscripts, after careful peer review process according to criteria of WORK.

We are grateful to the authors who submitted papers to this special section. We would also like to thank the reviewers for their hard work and their valuable feedback to the authors. Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Prof. Karen Jacobs, the Editor-in-Chief, and Amanda Nardone, the Editor’s Assistant, for providing the opportunity and assistance to edit this special section in WORK.