Chapter 8 Flashcards
What does the Cognitive Action Theory of Stress state?
A general stress response is a nonspecific alarm response of the body that does not fade out as long as the individual does not perceive possibilities to effectively deal with threatening job demands or stressors.
What are the two bodily stress systems?
- Sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM); facilitates the expenditure of mental and physical effort irrespective of the stressfulness of the situation
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA); is activated in more extreme circumstances, promoting the release of extra energy to deal with the stressor
Explain the reactivity hypothesis
This hypothesis states that health problems result from very intense physiological reactions that occur during exposure to a stressor.
What are the critiques on the reactivity hypothesis?
Researchers found evidence that not the stress reactivity is the most predictive of ill-health, but rather how long it takes before one has recovered after a stressful situation.
Definition of stress recovery
A process whereby psychophysiological systems that were activated during stress exposure return to and stabilize at baseline level after the stressful situation has ended.
Explain the 5 steps of the effort-recovery theory
- Work has benefits, but also short-term costs or load effects
- If recovery from work is completed and individual will start the next day in a recuperated condition, in the case of incomplete recovery…
- the individual will start in a sub optimal condition
- This makes additional work effort necessary to maintain adequate job performance
- This leads to a accumulation of load effects
Explain the allostatic load theory
This theory adds an extra step to the effort-recovery theory:
6. the accumulation of load effects will lead to chronic and serious health problems
What are prolonged work hours?
- Overtime work
- Long work hours; work hours exceed 48h per week
How do work hours in developed countries differ from the work hours in developing/transition countries?
In developed countries the long work hours decreased over the last decade. Many developing and transition countries show high percentages of workers with long work hours.
Explain the lack of recovery mechanism, which is related to prolonged work hours
Long work hours are related to fatigue, difficulty relaxing at home, etc.
- The prolonged work hours cause less time left for off-job recovery
- Resources that were already taxed during work hours, experience an incessant demand
- Overtime may interfere with demands and responsibilities in private life, which may create new stressors
Explain the behavioral lifestyle mechanism, which is related to prolonged work hours
There is an association between overtime work and a lower prevalence of healthy behaviours.
How does the quality of overtime moderate the relationship between overtime work and health?
The effects of overtime and long work hours depend on the circumstances under which one works overtime.
Explain what happens to the human activity-rest cycle when one works abnormal working hours
The circadian rhythmicity will be disrupted and this may have negative effects on health and well being. Recovery between shifts is often incomplete due to the impact that circadian disruption has on the sleep duration/quality.
Which two features of work schedules determine how much fatigue is accumulated?
- The number of consecutive (opeenvolgende) shifts
- The direction of rotation (morning -> afternoon -> night)
What are the two types of recovery during/after work hours?
- Internal recovery; occurs during work hours
- External recovery; occurs after work hours (free evenings, weekends, vacation)
