Distress can threaten health. Which statement best describes distress?

• A. It enhances health
• B. It threatens health
• C. It has no effect
• D. It always leads to eustress

Answer: (B)

Distress is negative stress that, when persistent or intense, can threaten health. The body’s stress response helps in the short term, but chronic distress keeps systems activated, raising cortisol and inflammatory processes, which can lead to immune suppression, higher blood pressure, sleep problems, fatigue, and mood disturbances. In people living with HIV, ongoing distress can hamper adherence to antiretroviral therapy and affect immune status, making health outcomes worse. So distress is best described as something that threatens health. It is not a health boost, not neutral, and not the positive form of stress (eustress).