Theoretical considerations for research on environmental stress and health

Research on hospital noise may have implications for the usefulness of stress theory as a framework for the study of environmental stress and stress-related health outcomes. In this article, the results of hospital noise research are described. It is argued that noise-induced stress in hospitals is largely uncontrollable by individual coping and that stress theory may therefore need to be supplemented for the reduction of reactivity. Three concepts are proposed for this purpose. Primary among these is an intervention concept--enhancement of person-environment compatibility. Others are ongoing societal and technological development, and intrinsic sensitivity to specific stressors in the environment. Future research should attempt to reveal whether these concepts are consistently effective in the management of hospital noise and other environmental stressors.