ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the stress process theory of Pearlin explaining the relationship between social factors and stress-related diseases, which is a major area of research in medical sociology. Pearlin’s stress model is the most widely used explanation of stress in medical sociology consisting of (1) stressors, (2) moderators, and (3) outcomes. The two major types of social stressors identified by Pearlin are life events and chronic strain. The theory holds that not all people react to these stressors the same way because of differences in stress moderators which, in turn, influence different outcomes. The use of biomarkers and genetic measures in stress research represents an advance over previous measures of the stress process—all of which is discussed in this chapter.
