Evaluate the evidence for stress as a factor in psychological disorders.​

A. The relationship between stress and depression is complex.
1. People with effective coping skills can avoid depression, even if they experience high levels of stress.
2. Genetic vulnerability may contribute to the link between stress and depression, providing the vulnerability that produces depression when vulnerable people experience stress.
3. The link between stress and depression may be through proinflammatory cytokines, which produce effects that are similar to depression.
B. Anxiety disorders
1. Posttraumatic stress disorder is one of the anxiety disorders.
a. This disorder is by definition related to stress.
b. Some types of stress are more likely to produce PTSD than other types; for example, victims of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and natural disasters are especially vulnerable.
2. The link between stress and other anxiety disorders is less clear.