Dear Matthew, 

Check these out: 

Engagement, Flow, Self-Efficacy, and Eustress of University Students: A Cross-National Comparison Between the Philippines and Argentina.

Mesurado B, Richaud MC, Mateo NJ. J Psychol. 2015 Apr 27:1-24

Television watching and effects on food intake: distress vs eustress.

Benedict C, Schiöth HB, Cedernaes J. JAMA Intern Med. 2015 Mar;175(3):468.

Effect of stress on academic performance in medical students--a cross sectional study.

Kumar M, Sharma S, Gupta S, Vaish S, Misra R.

Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2014 Jan-Mar;58(1):81-6.

Stress: perceptions, manifestations, and coping mechanisms of student registered nurse anesthetists.

Chipas A, Cordrey D, Floyd D, Grubbs L, Miller S, Tyre B.

AANA J. 2012 Aug;80(4 Suppl):S49-55.

Dear Matthew, 

Check these out: 

Engagement, Flow, Self-Efficacy, and Eustress of University Students: A Cross-National Comparison Between the Philippines and Argentina.

Mesurado B, Richaud MC, Mateo NJ. J Psychol. 2015 Apr 27:1-24

Television watching and effects on food intake: distress vs eustress.

Benedict C, Schiöth HB, Cedernaes J. JAMA Intern Med. 2015 Mar;175(3):468.

Effect of stress on academic performance in medical students--a cross sectional study.

Kumar M, Sharma S, Gupta S, Vaish S, Misra R.

Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2014 Jan-Mar;58(1):81-6.

Stress: perceptions, manifestations, and coping mechanisms of student registered nurse anesthetists.

Chipas A, Cordrey D, Floyd D, Grubbs L, Miller S, Tyre B.

AANA J. 2012 Aug;80(4 Suppl):S49-55.

Thanks Béatrice, those specific references are helpful.

Renzo, can you elaborate on helplessness? In what way is it the key issue and what have you seen as effective methods in the literature to overcome it?

By the way, I agree with you, Renzo, that stress is not the problem; that is exactly what I am looking to support. Rather, in my current findings, people are attracted and spend the most time in decision-scenarios after which they report the most stress. People like stress and gravitate towards it -- says my data. I wanted to know if there is well-founded literature about this kind of idea. 

Thanks for your answers!

I guess you should explore the relations of sensation-seeking with vulnerability to stress and measures of neuroticism. Subjects scoring higher sensation seeking report less severe physical and psychological complaints associated with stress.

Maybe the research of Jim Blascovich and Wendy Berry Mendes might be inspiring. For example:

Mendes, W. B., *Gray, H., Mendoza-Denton, R., Major, B. & Epel, E. (2007). Why egalitarianism might be good for your health: Physiological thriving during stressful intergroup encounters. Psychological Science, 18, 991-998.

Mendes, W.B., Blascovich, J., Lickel, B., & Hunter, S. (2002). Challenge and threat during interactions with White and Black men. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 939-952.

Mendes, W. B., Blascovich, J., Major, B. & Seery, M. D. (2001). Challenge and threat responses during downward and upward social comparisons, European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 477-497.

 or

Kassam, K., *Koslov, K., & Mendes, W. B. (2009). Decisions under distress: Stress profiles influence anchoring and adjustment. Psychological Science, 20, 1394-1399.

Jamieson, J., Mendes, W. B., **Blackstock, E. & Schmader, T. (2010). Turning the knots in your stomach into bows: Reappraising arousal improves performance on the GRE. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 208-212.

Here's something that might be useful:

McEwen, B. (2005). Stressed or stressed out: What is the difference. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 30 (5), 315-318.

Essentially, the point is that stress is a good thing until you get too much or it...

It may be a bit removed from your immediate focus, but I'm reminded of the phenomenon of how ostensibly "stress-reducing" meditative practices can often entail considerable personal challenge, especially during intensive retreats. 

A classic, if potentially over-dramatized, example is koan work as carried out in the Rinzai Zen tradition. A collection of generally well-done discussions of the Zen koan is available here:

The Koan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism, by Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright

Any basic text on the physiology of stress will confirm that stress is indeed very good - in the short term - but turns pathogenic when stress become severe and chronic. A good illustration is Sapolskys book: "Why zebras don't get ulcers"

Dear Matthew, 

Are you referring to eustress?

Article Engagement, Flow, Self-Efficacy, and Eustress of University ...

Article Understanding the Role of Positive Stress as a Mediating Too...

Article The HRD Eustress Model: Generating Positive Stress With Chal...

Yes eustress is Selye's idea, I'd also consider looking at McEwen's newer models of that notion.