Women and stress

This review focused on published research reports that explored the association between stress and women's health and illness. Because of the vastness of the literature, the review was limited to three conceptual areas. The first included those studying the association between stress and illness. Most were correlational in design, thus lacking the power to support assertions of a cause-and-effect relationship. The second focused on studies of the psychophysiology of stress. These studies provide nurse scientists and clinicians with insights into the underlying pathology of stress. When paired with behavioral measures, these studies provide a window into brain mechanisms involved in mind/body interactions. The third conceptual area included those studies of stress reduction therapies to influence health and illness. These studies have yielded a mighty arsenal of interventions that may be used to reduce distress.