Final answer:
Stress levels across the adult lifespan have generally shown a marked increase over time, with variations among different demographic groups. Factors such as gender, employment status, and economic fluctuations influence these stress levels. Stress can impact performance, with moderate stress enhancing performance and high stress leading to negative outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks whether across the adult lifespan, the amount of stress that people experience decreases, remains unchanged, increases, or varies unpredictably. According to several national surveys that thousands of individuals from various demographic groups completed, including those conducted in 1983, 2006, and 2009 (Cohen & Janicki-Deverts, 2012), it's clear that stress levels have generally shown a marked increase over this quarter-century time span. However, the situation is not so straightforward, as there are differences in stress levels among various demographic groups. For example, women tend to report higher levels of stress than men, but from 2006 to 2009, men showed the greatest increase in reported stress, particularly those with a college education and full-time employment, perhaps due to economic uncertainties like those experienced during the 2008-2009 economic downturn. Stressors come in many forms, both chronic and acute, and their impacts on individuals can vary based on a wide range of factors involving personal, economic, and social dynamics.
Stress has complex interactions with performance and well-being, with moderate levels sometimes enhancing performance (eustress), and high levels leading to negative outcomes (distress). Additionally, certain life events, from daily hassles to major traumatic events, can serve as stressors that influence the experience of stress. Stress levels also ebb and flow with life's changes and the presence of traumatic events, combined with an individual's socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnicity, can contribute to differences in stress perception and reporting.