**Preface to "Stress and Health"**

The human stress response consists of coordinated physiological changes that prepare the body for optimum cognitive processing and physical activity to meet challenges or overcome threats. Stressful stimuli can arise from work, living conditions, financial resources, personal relationships, and the physical or mental health status of the individual and their family members. Some individuals appear to manage high-stress situations without negative effects, and may even report that they thrive on high stress levels at work or in leisure activities. In contrast, others do not have the same resilience and experience negative changes to their physical and mental health. The possible effects on the mental health of service personnel were acknowledged in the last century, leading to the development of supportive services. It is also recognized that professional groups including healthcare workers, firefighters, and police can be exposed to highly stressful incidents in the course of their work, the result of which is some individuals experiencing mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or depression, and therefore require effective interventions. Other sources of chronic stress for specific groups of people around the world include, for example, civilians living in war zones or refugees adapting to a new environment, culture, and language. These individuals may experience posttraumatic stress disorder and difficulties with normal family relationships. Within their home country, people can experience chronic stress from situations such as domestic violence or poverty. Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods can cause acute, long-term, or recurring hardship and stress through loss of homes, businesses, and loved ones. In these situations, individuals and different generations in their families are involved. Many individuals remain resilient, while some suffer negative effects on their mental or physical health. An individual's stress response has been shown to arise from the interaction between their genetic inheritance and the influence of their environment through epigenetic changes and other pathways. For the developing fetus, the uterus is a protective environment. However, evidence indicates that maternal experiences of intense or prolonged stress, anxiety, or depression during pregnancy may influence the developing infant [1]. On the positive side, evidence indicates that a strong sense of coherence can help mothers manage perinatal stress, which reduces the risk of depression [2], and it is possible to enhance this through intervention. Therefore, supportive perinatal interventions may benefit multiple generations of the family. In summary, the health of individuals and their children may be enhanced by interventions to help them manage the effects of stressful life experiences and environments. The papers presented here provide insights into the pathological effects of stress that may disrupt the normal relationships between individuals and their families. These papers also emphasize the need for the provision of innovative and effective interventions.
