| Course | PSY-3020 Brain and Mind |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Written assignment: psychoneuroimmunology |
| Length | About 1,012 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Arts in Psychology |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PSY 3020 Module 5
Sick Every Semester: How Chronic Stress Gets Under the Skin
Student Name
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Thomas Edison State University
PSY-3020: Brain and Mind
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Sick Every Semester: How Chronic Stress Gets Under the Skin
Introduction
For three semesters, I have caught a cold during finals. This term, finals came while I was helping my mother recover from knee surgery and working 30 hours a week. I wondered whether stress was making me sick, or whether I was simply exposed to more germs. This paper examines the evidence that psychological stress affects the immune system and health, a field called psychoneuroimmunology.
How Stress Reaches the Body
When the brain perceives a threat, it activates two main systems: the sympathetic nervous system, which releases adrenaline and noradrenaline within seconds, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which releases cortisol over minutes to hours. These responses prepare the body for action, raising heart rate and blood sugar, and they also influence the immune system, since immune cells have receptors for stress hormones.
What the Meta-Analysis Found
Segerstrom and Miller (2004) pooled more than 300 studies spanning three decades of work on how stress relates to human immunity. They found that the effects depend on the type of stressor. Stressors that last only minutes, like giving a speech, tended to increase some aspects of natural immunity, the fast, nonspecific defenses, consistent with preparing for injury. Short naturalistic stressors, such as academic exams, tended to shift the balance of immune signaling. Chronic stressors, such as looking after a spouse with dementia or being out of work for a long period, were associated with suppression of many immune functions. Stressors that upended daily life and dragged on for months or years appeared to do the most damage.
A Viral Challenge Study
Cohen et al. (1991) asked whether stress changes the odds of infection itself. First they scored psychological stress in 394 healthy volunteers using questionnaires about recent life events, perceived stress and negative feelings, then exposed them through nose drops to one of five cold-causing viruses while they lived in quarantine. Rates of infection, and of colds that met clinical criteria, climbed step by step with each level of stress. The link survived statistical control for age, sex, allergies, smoking, alcohol, exercise, diet and prior immunity to the virus.
Allostasis and Allostatic Load
McEwen (1998) offered a framework for understanding why stress responses can both protect and harm. Allostasis is the body's ability to adapt to challenges by changing physiological set points, for example raising cortisol and blood pressure when needed. Allostatic load is the cumulative wear and tear that results when these responses are activated too often, last too long or are not shut off properly. McEwen described four routes to this load: too many stressful hits, no habituation when the same stressor repeats, a response that will not switch off and a response too weak to restrain other systems. Over time, allostatic load contributes to high blood pressure, weight gain, weakened immunity and memory problems.
| Source | Key finding | Relevance to my experience |
|---|---|---|
| Segerstrom and Miller (2004) | Chronic stressors suppress immune function | Caregiving plus work is chronic stress |
| Cohen et al. (1991) | Higher stress raised the risk of catching a cold after exposure | Stress may raise my risk during finals |
| McEwen (1998) | Repeated or prolonged stress responses cause cumulative wear | Recovery time matters |
Caregiving as Chronic Stress
Caring for a family member is among the most studied chronic stressors. Caregivers often face physical demands, disrupted sleep, financial strain and worry with no clear end, a combination that fits McEwen's description of stress that is frequent and prolonged. Research on caregivers of people with dementia has been central to showing that chronic stress is linked to weaker immune responses, including poorer responses to vaccines and slower wound healing.
Social Support as a Buffer
Not everyone under stress becomes ill. Social support, having people to rely on for practical help and emotional comfort, is one of the most consistent buffers against the health effects of stress. It may work by reducing the perceived threat of a situation, by encouraging healthy habits and by calming the physiological stress response itself.
Is Stress Making Me Sick?
The research suggests that it may be. My finals combine a short naturalistic stressor, exams, with a chronic one, caregiving alongside work, and the meta-analysis links chronic stress with weakened immunity. Cohen and colleagues' study suggests that stressed people exposed to cold viruses are more likely to fall ill. Of course, I am also around more people during finals, and stress affects sleep and eating, which may be part of the pathway.
Stress Beyond the Immune System
The same stress pathways affect other systems. Chronic stress is linked to higher blood pressure, changes in how the body stores fat and processes sugar, and changes in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, areas that support remembering and regulating feelings. McEwen emphasized that the brain is both the organ that interprets stress and a target of its effects, which helps explain why prolonged stress can affect concentration and mood as well as physical health. Exercise, regular sleep and time with supportive people appear to help these systems return to baseline.
Reducing Allostatic Load
McEwen's framework suggests that the goal is not to eliminate stress but to allow the body to recover between challenges. Evidence-based steps include protecting sleep, regular physical activity, social support and reducing the duration of chronic stressors where possible. This term I arranged for my brother to cover two afternoons a week of caregiving, kept a fixed bedtime during finals and continued short walks with a friend.
Limits
Many studies are correlational, and the meta-analysis combined diverse measures. The cold study used healthy volunteers in quarantine, which differs from everyday life. My own experience is a single case, and I cannot separate stress from the extra exposure to germs during finals.
Conclusion
Segerstrom and Miller showed that chronic stress is associated with suppressed immune function, Cohen and colleagues showed that stress increases the likelihood of catching a cold after exposure and McEwen explained how repeated stress responses produce cumulative wear on the body. The mind affects the body through measurable pathways, and reducing the duration and frequency of stress may protect health.
References
Cohen, S., Tyrrell, D. A. J., & Smith, A. P. (1991). Psychological stress and susceptibility to the common cold. New England Journal of Medicine, 325(9), 606-612. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199108293250903
McEwen, B. S. (1998). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine, 338(3), 171-179. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199801153380307
Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: A meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological Bulletin, 130(4), 601-630. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601
What the PSY 3020 Module 5 instructions ask for
TESU's public syllabus for PSY-3020 names Module 5 The Mind/Brain and Illness Connection: Part 1. Explain the biological pathways by which psychological stress affects the body, then report evidence on how different kinds of stressors affect immune function and on whether stress increases susceptibility to illness. Introduce a framework, such as allostatic load, that explains how the same stress response can be useful at first and damaging when prolonged. Apply the evidence to a realistic situation and propose evidence-based ways to reduce harm. Address the limits of correlational and laboratory evidence. Some sections ask for a focus on heart disease or chronic pain instead. Check whether personal examples are acceptable.
How this PSY 3020 Module 5 example is built
Tasha Greene, an invented TESU psychology student who catches a cold every finals week, examines whether stress is making her sick while she also cares for her mother. The stress response systems are explained, followed by Segerstrom and Miller's meta-analysis of acute, brief and chronic stressors, Cohen and colleagues' viral exposure study and McEwen's framework of allostasis and allostatic load. A table relates each source to her experience. Sections weigh whether stress explains her colds, describe steps to reduce allostatic load and close with limits and a conclusion. Sections on caregiving as a model of chronic stress and on social support as a buffer are included before her own analysis. A section on how chronic stress affects blood pressure, metabolism and the brain broadens the picture.
PSY 3020 Module 5 rubric: what earns full marks
Stress and illness papers earn credit when they explain the biological pathways accurately and distinguish the effects of acute and chronic stressors, as the meta-analysis does. Readers look for a well-described experimental or prospective study, such as the viral exposure study, with its controls noted, and for a framework that explains why stress responses can both help and harm. Applying the evidence to a real situation without claiming certainty, and acknowledging alternative explanations such as exposure and sleep, shows careful reasoning. Practical recommendations grounded in the research, with limits stated, complete a strong paper. Recognizing that social support can buffer stress shows that the student does not treat stress as destiny.
PSY 3020 Module 5 help: mistakes that cost marks
Stress papers often claim that stress weakens immunity without saying which kind of stress or how. Describe the stress response systems, report what different stressors do and include a study that measured illness, not just immune markers. Use a framework such as allostatic load to explain long-term effects. If you apply the evidence to yourself, consider alternative explanations. Recommend changes supported by research and note limits. Share your module prompt and readings, and we will draft a free paper on stress and health around them. Include protective factors, such as social support, alongside risks. If your instructor allows, include protective factors as well as risks.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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PSY 3020 Module 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free PSY 3020 Module 5 sample paper?
The stress and immunity paper, from the stress response to allostatic load, is available here.
Does stress weaken the immune system?
Segerstrom and Miller found chronic stressors were associated with suppression of many immune functions.
Does stress make you more likely to catch a cold?
Cohen and colleagues found higher stress raised the risk of infection and illness after exposure to cold viruses.
What is allostatic load?
McEwen's term for the cumulative wear on the body from stress responses that are too frequent, prolonged or poorly regulated.
Are short stressors harmful?
Segerstrom and Miller found brief acute stressors tended to boost some natural immunity.