Abstract
Cascading global crises (like recurrent pandemics, extreme weather, geopolitical conflicts) have made crisis a part of daily life, rather than a series of episodic disruptions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report from 2023, there was a 25% increase in global anxiety disorders between 2019 and 2022, which is a significant trend that single-event trauma models cannot fully account for. This paper combines the diathesis-stress model, allostatic-load theory, and meaning-making mechanisms to investigate the dual effects of chronic crisis: enhancing anxiety and building resilience. Through cross-level analyses (like epigenetics, cognitive neuroscience, sociocultural factors), "perpetual crisis" is considered an empirical reality—restructuring risk responses and prompting further exploration of interventions, policies, and research limitations.
Long-term exposure to high-stress environments can adversely affect the mental health of adolescents, manifesting in the form of routine anxiety and emotional instability. Studies indicate that sustained stress increases allostatic load, which can lead to abnormal NR3C1 gene methylation, thereby disrupting the balance of the HPA axis and weakening prefrontal cognitive regulation. Many adolescents’ anxiety may be a reflection of these physiological changes.
Keywords：perpetual crisis, adolescent anxiety, allostatic load, NR3C1 methylation, epigenetic embedding, cognitive control dysregulation, intolerance of uncertainty, collective efficacy, meaning-making, socio-cultural buffering, psychological PPE, resilience interventions
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