Stress in Children (original) (raw)

Abstract

Understanding S tress is increasingly present in all of our lives, yet as this term is used with greater frequency, its meaning has become less clear. What is stress? Often the term is used to refer to an external pressure exerted on systems of human homeostasis. 1 But it also can refer to the immediate result-a physiological reaction mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; neurohormonal mediators, such as corticotropin releasing factor; glucocorticoid release; and autonomic nervous system (ANS) response altering neurotransmitter levels, accompanied by adjustments in cardiovascular, immune system, and brain function, along with predictable behavioral manifestations-a "state of stress." 2 Humans share stress-responsive brain structures like the amygdala with other primates. But because of the evolution of brain structures, such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, humans possess the unique ability to retrigger stress reactions in the absence of renewed external stress. 1,2 All we need to do to unleash a physiological stress response is to think about a particular stress. "Stress" has also come to refer not only to external pressures and immediate reactions to them, but to a prolonged internal state that may have long-term deleterious effects on health and mental health.