Abnormal Psychology: Chapter 9 - Trauma and Stress Related Disorders

Question 1

An ongoing process that occurs when environment or social threats place demands on individuals.

Answer 1

stress

Question 2

A three-stage physiological reaction to a stressor, consisting of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

*GAS

Answer 2

general adaptation syndrome

Question 3

The immediate response to a stressor in which the individual’s autonomic nervous system is activated to “fight or to flee” from the stressor

Answer 3

fight-or-flight response

Question 4

The second stage of the general adaptation syndrome, in which various coping mechanisms are used to defend against a stressor.

Answer 4

stage of resistance

Question 5

The third stage of the general adaptation syndrome, in which organ systems break down

Answer 5

stage of exhaustion

Question 6

The feedback loop that plays a critical role in the body’s response to stress.
In times of stress, the adrenal glands respond to messages from the hypothalamic-pituitary system by increasing their output of cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine), hormones that help the body cope with stressors via “fight-or-flight” mechanisms.

HPA

Answer 6

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA)

Question 7

A hormone that starts a chain of coordinated physiological and biochemical defenses against a stressor, and signals the pituitary gland to secrete adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)

CRH

Answer 7

corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)

Question 8

A hormone that, in response to a stressor, directs the adrenal glands to release adrenal corticosteroids.

Answer 8

adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)

Question 9

A chemical messenger, also known as a stress hormone, that intensifies alarm and prepares the body to cope with a stressor.

Answer 9

adrenal corticosteroid

Question 10

A chemical messenger, also known as an adrenal corticosteriod, that intensifies alarm and prepares the body to cope with a stressor.

Answer 10

stress hormone

Question 11

An endogenous opioid that helps regulate cardiovasular activity, relieve pain, and facilitate psychological coping.

Answer 11

endorphin

Question 12

A decrease in immune system effectiveness that sometimes follows sustained stress

Answer 12

immunosupression

Question 13

A steroidal hormone the body uses to fight stress

Answer 13

glucocorticoid

Question 14

Stressful or traumatic experiences, including abuse, neglect, and a range of household dysfunction, such as witnessing domestic violence or growing up with substance abuse, mental disorders, parental discord, or crime in the home.

Answer 14

adverse childhood experiences

Question 15

A person’s efforts to modify, manage, or tolerate stressors.

Answer 15

coping

Question 16

The evaluation of the significance of a stressor or threatening event.

Answer 16

primary appraisal

Question 17

An attempt to reduce stress by directly changing the stressor itself

Answer 17

problem-focused coping

Question 18

An attempt to reduce stress by thinking about a stressor in ways that make it less upsetting.

Answer 18

cognitive reappraisal

Question 19

Attempts to reduce stress by changing a person’s emotional responses to a stressor.

Answer 19

emotion-focused coping

Question 20

The feeling that you cared for by others or belong to a valued group.

Answer 20

social support

Question 21

Maladaptive behavioral and psychological reactions to a stressor occurring within 3 months of the stressor.

Answer 21

adjustment disorder

Question 22

An anxiety disorder in which a person experiences a pattern of intense, fear-related reactions after being exposed to a highly stressful event.

Answer 22

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Question 23

A mental disorder in which a person who has undergone a traumatic event experiences trauma-related symptoms similar to PTSD that begin within 1 month of the trauma and last less than 1 month.

Answer 23

acute stress disorder

Question 24

A model that combines classical conditioning and operant conditioning to explain disorders such as PSTD and phobias.

Answer 24

two-factor conditioning

Question 25

A memory network that connects fear stimuli and fearful responses.

Answer 25

fear network

Question 26

A cognitive-behavioral treatment for PTSD that involves repeatedly exposing individuals to stimuli that remind them of their past trauma in order to alter their fear networks

Answer 26

prolonged exposure therapy

Question 27

A cognitive-behavioral treatment for PTSD that involves repeatedly exposing individuals to stimuli that remind them of their past trauma, in addition to having them process the meaning of their trauma through written exercises.

Answer 27

cognitive processing therapy

Question 28

A cognitive-behavioral treatment for PTSD that involves repeatedly exposing individuals to stimuli that remind them of their past trauma, while they engage in eye or other bilateral movements postulated to facilitate emotional processing.

Answer 28

eye movement desensitization and reprocessing