One stressor that I was exposed to quite frequently as a child was noise combined with a lack of privacy. My brother and parents loved to create a lot of noise and listen to the television and radio loudly. :0). It’s not that they did it deliberately, it was just their personalities. At the same time, my brother and my parents were and still are dependant personalities and were very open and inclusive. I, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. As a child, I was (and still am) social, but quiet. I also was (and still am) independent and much more private than my other family members. I did come up with a very creative solution in order to cope with my stressor: my closet. In order to reduce the impact of noise that I was exposed to and my lack of privacy, I built my own little club house in my closet. In there, I hung my favorite pictures, would listen to soft music, and write short stories. I also would write in and hide my diary in my closet to ensure that I maintained my privacy. I was able to locate an old pad lock in the shed and used it to keep my brother out of my closet when I was not using it. Although bizarre, it was my creative solution to escape my stressors. I would also spend extended times in the bathroom, taking long baths to escape my stressor. Funny enough, I still do that today; however, I no longer sit in my closet.
One country and stressor that I am fascinated by is the impact that war has on children in Iraq. According to an article by Howard (2007), as a result of this stressor, it is not uncommon for all ages of children and teens in Iraq to experience vivid nightmares, bedwetting, violence towards others, muteness, panic attacks, and withdrawal. Not much can be done to eliminate the stressor that the children are exposed to; however, measures are being taken to address the consequences of this stressor (Howard, 2007). Local Iraqi psychologists and foreign NGO’s are actively involved in providing these children with psychological treatment and rehabilitation (Howard, 2007). Despite these efforts, thousands of Iraqi children are left untreated and burdened with the consequences of their stressor on a daily basis. Unless treated, it is a possibility that these children will be plagued for the rest of their life as a result of their exposure to violence and war.
References
Howard, M. (2007). Children of War: The Generation Traumatized by Violence in Iraq. The Guardian. Retrieved January 29, 2011 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/feb/06/iraq.topstories3.