Table 1.

Factors influencing the stress response

Stressor type

Processive (neurogenic or psychogenic)

Systemic (immune insults)

Stressor characteristics

Controllability

Predictability

Ambiguity/uncertainty

Chronicity

Intermittence

Organismic variables

Species

Strain

Age

Sex

Experiential variables

Previous stressor experiences (sensitization)

Early life events (maternal factors, trauma)

Resource characteristics

Personal characteristics

Coping skills

Self-esteem

Self-efficacy

Personality (hardiness, optimism, neuroticism)

Social characteristics

Social support (perceptions)

Attachment (bonding)

Reprinted from (Anisman and Matheson, 2005) with permission.