To fight or to fly? This is the question our bodies ask every time we encounter danger.
What follows is stress, which can give us a mental and physical boost when we need it most.
But what if the threat doesn’t pass and the body continues to be stressed?
This is the reality for many marginalized groups, who face a greater burden of stress due to their disproportionate exposure to social, economic and environmental threats, according to a report by the American Psychological Association.
In the long term, chronic stress can have negative mental and physical effects on all systems of the body, including the respiratory, cardiovascular and reproductive systems. For some communities, the risk is heightened.
Despite this, community members around the world demonstrate incredible resilience to stress and trauma. Here’s how.
The body during stress
The stress response begins when you perceive danger and this sensory information is sent to the amygdala, a part of the brain involved in processing emotions.
The amygdala interprets the danger and sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. The whole process is like a game of telephone.
The hypothalamus acts like the central call centre, communicating with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system. As part of this system, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, triggering the body’s fight-or-flight response and preparing it for action.
The hypothalamus then signals for the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, making the heart rate surge, your breathing quicken and the body more alert.
As the initial surge of adrenaline wanes, the HPA axis kicks in to maintain a chronic stress response. The hypothalamus triggers a domino-like chain of reactions. This, in turn, signals the release of cortisol, which helps sustain the body’s heightened alertness and energy.
Once the threat passes, cortisol levels decrease and the parasympathetic nervous system takes over, calming the body and restoring it to a normal, restful state.
What has become more clear, however, is that restful peace of mind is a privilege some cannot afford.
Social determinants of health and stress
The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as “conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age.” These are non-medical health determinants like income, education, employment, food insecurity and housing.
In Canada, discrimination, racism and historical trauma are important social determinants of health for certain groups such as Indigenous peoples, 2SLGBTQ+ community members and Black Canadians.
One Journal of Affective Disorders study found microaggressions and discrimination were linked to increased anxiety symptoms in young adults, with discrimination showing a strong association with depression and sleep disturbances.
Another Journal of Women’s Health study examined how access to care, social support and stress contributed to the development of antepartum depression among low-income mothers. Approximately 22.6 per cent of women in the study reported experiencing depression during pregnancy. Negative social support indicators, such as abuse during pregnancy, were nearly four times more likely to develop antepartum depression.
The 2SLGBTQ+ community also faces persistent discrimination in areas such as education, employment, health care and personal relationships, one Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care study found. Exclusion from societal norms often leads to isolation. Heteronormative expectations pressure 2SLGBTQ+ individuals to conform, causing internal conflict and heightened stress.
For marginalized communities, social determinants of health contribute to mental and physical stress. So how does the body cope?
Resilience
Resilience, the capacity to maintain normal function despite adversity, is key to mitigating stress. One Nature study described resilience as an active, adaptive process, not merely the absence of negative responses to stress. A key player is the HPA axis, the control centre for emotional and stress responses.
Studies show resilient individuals may exhibit distinct biological responses that moderate HPA activation. Other factors potentially contributing to resilience include higher levels of one hormone from the adrenal gland, which may counteract the effects of cortisol.
Testosterone, associated with positive mood and social connection, may also contribute to resilience during stress.
Overall, the human body possesses remarkable resilience to stress, employing various mechanisms to maintain psychological and physical well-being.
Featured graphic by Alisha Velji.
