Stress, in psychological and physiological terms, is the organism's adaptive response to demands, threats, or challenges that tax or exceed its perceived resources. It is commonly distinguished as acute, a transient reaction to an immediate stressor, or chronic, a sustained activation that arises when demands persis…
Stress, in psychological and physiological terms, is the organism's adaptive response to demands, threats, or challenges that tax or exceed its perceived resources. It is commonly distinguished as acute, a transient reaction to an immediate stressor, or chronic, a sustained activation that arises when demands persist. The response is coordinated by two principal systems: rapid sympathetic activation of the autonomic nervous system, releasing catecholamines, and the slower hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, culminating in the secretion of cortisol. Although these mechanisms are protective in the short term, their repeated or prolonged engagement contributes to allostatic load, the cumulative physiological cost of adaptation, which is linked to impaired health and disease. Importantly, the impact of a stressor depends not only on its objective severity but on appraisal: perceived stress and the coping strategies an individual brings to bear shape both the subjective experience and the biological response. Persistent or poorly regulated stress is closely associated with anxiety, burnout, and broader deterioration in mental and physical well-being. This journal publishes peer-reviewed research in this area, including work on cortisol and HPA-axis reactivity, perceived stress and coping, and interventions intended to reduce stress responses across clinical and everyday populations.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 138 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Stress, linking to each citing work.