Wednesday, October 22, 1997
Stress-trogen
Are women more stressed than men, or does the difference lie in
the way each gender deals with stress?
By Rachel Munoz
Daily Bruin Contributor
Stressed out? You are not alone. But depending on your age and
gender,the why and how of your stress will vary.
Female freshman in public universities across the nation are, on
average, 20 percent more overwhelmed than their male counterparts,
according to the Higher Education Research Institute.
Maybe a few of the females reading this story are now nodding
their heads in agreement. But why are females in college so much
more stressed out than males?
There are no simple answers, only educated guesses. However,
there is a general consensus on the idea that females express their
stress, to organizations or friends or family, whereas males find a
way of just dealing with it.
"There is a difference in reporting it," said Kathy Barrons, the
director of the ASK Peer Counselor program. "Women can talk about
it and are more honest about it."
One student believes that expression is definitely the key
difference between men and women who are stressed out.
"I definitely don’t think one feels more stress than another,"
said Jennifer Wolf, a fourth-year communications studies and
sociology student also minoring in math. "Men let their stress out
through physical actions in lieu of conversation. Women are the
more expressive sex."
Outside of the common symptoms of female stress, such as
depression, anxiety, and somatic distress, Harold Pruett, director
of the Student Psychological Services, blames relationships as the
main reason both women and men seek assistance.
"The greatest issue is relationships in one way or another …
with parental relationships, significant others, or peers and
friends, for both men and women," Pruett said.
Relationships could certainly be an aspect driving women to feel
stressed out, but others believe it is a lot more than that.
"Situational" is how Barrons described it. Each individual is in
a different situation, which causes stress in different ways.
Denise Lieu, a fourth-year art history student, thinks that
stress is not only situational, but derives from expectations
depending on the sex.
"Men and women have different things to worry about because of
their different roles in society," she said.
Jane Crawford, the director of Letters & Science Counseling
Services, can relate to the situational approach, especially in
older, returning students who try to juggle family, finances and
student responsibilities.
"Returning female students can easily have two jobs, financial
difficulties, commute, etc.," Crawford said. She also mentions the
care of younger siblings or the care of elderly parents as aspects
causing stress among returning female students.
Students who are also mothers face additional stress, says Kathy
Rose-Mockry, the director of the Women’s Resource Center. But she
included yet another list of stress-related problems.
She has found that many women seek out her support services for
stress when they are not meeting their expectations or feel less
confident in their skills and ability in the classroom.
Sexual situations also are believed to cause stress, according
to Rose-Mockry.
"Sexual violence issues aggravate existing situations. It is
harder to deal with when there already is more to cope with (at
school)," she said. Pregnancy is another issue plaguing the minds
of many female students, she says.
Still there are more things that stress can be attributed to.
Wolf blames the living environment for a lot of stress.
"Living in Los Angeles is high stress," she said. "It’s easy to
get wrapped up in everything."
Yet Barrons wants to make clear that all students have stress,
and that it is not only a female issue.
Stress does not prefer a gender, Pruett agrees. He believes that
on a whole, the Psychological Services here at UCLA serve about 60
percent females and 40 percent males.
However, Pruett hasn’t figured out whether females are really
more stressed out, or if men just aren’t seeking help at the same
rate.
"Men handle stress more differently, they are less willing to
seek outside assistance," he said. So if stressed people are the
ones who go for some kind of help, then he believes more females
are stressed out.
The broad array of issues involved in female stress is clearly
apparent. For most females dealing with stress, organizations or
counseling groups seem to be the answer.
But what do people do to lessen their level of stress when there
isn’t time or a true need for organizational help?
"Sleeping is a great stress reliever," Wolf said. When she has
had a tough day between school, her committee position with the
Student Alumni Association, and her choir group, she finds that
letting her body rest is a sure way to feel energized and more at
ease the next day.
Sleep is only one of three essential things that Lieu uses to
take away her stress while juggling homework between UCLA, Long
Beach State her docent position at the Getty Museum, and a long
term relationship. "I like sleeping, eating, and talking," she
said.