Rahul, 42, manages a bank branch in Pune. For eight months he has faced heavy targets, late hours and little help at home. His heart races and his blood pressure has gone up. He keeps forgetting figures he read a few minutes earlier, and he has made two wrong loan decisions that cost the bank money. At home he swings from anger to sadness and has begun avoiding his friends, which makes him feel less sure of himself. His doctor finds stomach ulcers and frequent headaches, and notes that Rahul now catches colds and infections far more often than before.
Rahul's doctor says that many of her patients have complaints like his. Which of the following matches research on stress and illness?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Stress plays a role in fifty to seventy per cent of physical illnesses; sixty per cent of medical visits are mainly for stress-related symptoms
Option (1) Stress plays a role in sixty per cent of physical illnesses; fifty to seventy per cent of medical visits are mainly for stress-related symptoms — Incorrect. The two figures are swapped. Sixty per cent is the share of medical visits, and fifty to seventy per cent is the share of physical illnesses.
Option (2) Stress plays a role in fifty to seventy per cent of physical illnesses; thirty per cent of medical visits are mainly for stress-related symptoms — Incorrect. The illness figure is right, but the visits figure is wrong. Studies put stress-related medical visits at sixty per cent.
Option (3) Stress plays a role in fifty to seventy per cent of physical illnesses; sixty per cent of medical visits are mainly for stress-related symptoms — Correct. Stress plays an important role in fifty to seventy per cent of all physical illnesses, and sixty per cent of medical visits are mainly for stress-related symptoms.
Option (4) Stress plays a role in twenty to thirty per cent of physical illnesses; sixty per cent of medical visits are mainly for stress-related symptoms — Incorrect. The visits figure is right, but twenty to thirty per cent is far too low. Researchers estimate fifty to seventy per cent of physical illnesses.
NCERT (2026-27): “Stress and Health … “Researchers estimate that stress plays an important role in fifty to seventy per cent of all physical illnesses. Studies also reveal that sixty per cent of medical visits are primarily for stress-related symptoms.” |