STRESS AND HEALTH Flashcards

1
Q

health psychology

A

subfield of psychology concerned with the ways that psychological factors influence the causes and treatment of physical illness and the maintenance of health

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2
Q

stressful events

A

major life changes
positive and negative events

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3
Q

chronic stressors

A

sources of stress that occur continuosly/ repeatedly
eg- strained relationships

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4
Q

controlling stress

A

Studies show perceives control over stressful events can be related to more effective coping
role of locus of control

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5
Q

physical reactions stress produced

A

flight or flight
cortisol - released in high stress, help metabolize glucose
GAS

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6
Q

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

A

Alarm phase
resistance phase
exhaustion phase

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7
Q

alarm phase

A

: rapid mobilization of bodily resources to respond to the threat (fight or flight)

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8
Q

resistance phase

A

adaptation to arousal state, and coping with stressor
Reduction of unnessarcary thing (sex drive) so cope for longer

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9
Q

exhaustion phase

A

body’s resistance cllapes; leads to aging, infection, tumou growth, organ damage, even death
More prolonged the sharper the degree of exhaustion

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10
Q

stress effects on health

A

wear and tear on the body/ aging
DNA Is copied (shortened telomere)
cells stop copying when too short

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11
Q

chronic stress affects immunity

A

hormones go to the brain - wearing down the immune system, less able to fight invaders
related to low SES

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12
Q

stress affects heart health

A

atheroscelosis- narrowing of arteries
type A behaviour
hostility is one of the best predictors of heart disease

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13
Q

Psychological reactions

A

Physiological and Psychological stress response are intertwined
begins in the mind (is it stressful or not), primary, secondary appraisal, threat, challenge)

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14
Q

primary appraisal

A

interpretation of a stimulus as stressful or not

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15
Q

secondary appraisal

A

determination of whether the stressor is something rhat can be handled or not

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16
Q

threat

A

a stressor that you believe might not be overcome
negative appraisal

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17
Q

challenge

A

stressor you feel fairly confident you can control
positive appraisal

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18
Q

burnout form chronic stress

A

a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion created by long-term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation
Burnout is accomplished by lowered performance and motivation

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19
Q

causes of burnout

A

emotionally stressful jobs
gouging self-worth by success in one aspect alone

20
Q

psychological factor influencing health

A

health relevant
- type a behaviour, optimism, hardiness
health behaviour
- exercising, good sleep

21
Q

optimism

A

seeing the sunny side of a situation) is healthier than pessimism (expecting things to go wrong)
Seems to aid maintenance of psychological health in the face of physical problems
A person’s level of optimism or pessimism tends to be heritable
Optimism is one of the best psychological predictors of happiness

22
Q

harniness

A

Hardiness: hardy people are stress-resistant
Personality characteristics of hardy people include
A sense of commitment
A belief in control
Acceptance of challenge (growth mindset)
Hardy individuals seem to be thick-skinned and able to take more stress or criticism that may hurt others, tend to handle stress better, and are overall healthier

23
Q

health-promoting behaviour

A

self-regulation
gratification for longer term gains
healthy eating, safe sex, not smoking, healthy sleep pattern

24
Q

self reultation

A

exercise of voluntary control over the self to brign it into line with preferred standards; willpower

25
Q

stress management

A

the mind
the body
the situation

26
Q

mind management

A

repressive coping
rational coping
reframing

27
Q

repressive coping

A

avoiding situations o thoughts that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint

28
Q

rational coping

A

facing the stressor and working to overcome it
acceptance, exposure, understanding

29
Q

reframing

A

finding a new or creative way to think about ta stressor that reduces a threat
Stress inoculation training (SIT): a reframing technique that helps people cope with stressful situations by developing policies as to think about situations

30
Q

body management (5)

A

relaxation, meditation, biofeedback, aerobic exercise, sleep

31
Q

situation management

A

changing life to reduce stress:
social support
Religious or spiritual practice
Use of humour
Avoiding procrastinaton

32
Q

social support

A

the aid gained through interacting with others
relationship people = better health

33
Q

the gender differnces in value of soical support

A

male- fight or fight
females- tend and befriend response
- oxytocin is released

34
Q

religiosity and spirituality

A

Religiosity: affiliation with or engagement in the pracices of a particular religion
Spirtuality: having a belief in and engagement with some higher power, not necessarily linked to any particular religion
aka because of SOCIAL NETWORKS AND HEALTHY ADVICE FROM CHURCH PEOPLE

35
Q

Homour

A

Humour can help in coping with stress
Can diffuse stressful events
Reduces time needed to calm down after stressor
Reduces sensitivity to pain and stress
Related to hardiness

36
Q

procrastination

A

causes ill health and stress in the long run
delaying gratification- extrinsic motivation

37
Q

body management

A

Relaxation
Meditation
Biofeedback
Aerobic exercise
Sleep

38
Q

relaxation therapy

A

technique for reducing tension by consciously relaxing muscles of the body
Eg. progressive muscle relaxation

39
Q

relaxation response

A

condition of reduced muscle tension, cortical activity, heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure

40
Q

regular relaxation

A

reduces symptoms of stress
E. tension, cortisol, BP

41
Q

biofeedback

A

can eb used in the lab
control over functions, neouro feedback - breath and heartbeat

42
Q

meditation

A

practice if intentional contemplation
Associated with religious traditions, but often practiced outside of religious contexts
Involves clearing the mind of thoughts, or having a single focus
Eg. concentrating on breathing or a mantra (word/sound)
Is restful and revitalizing offers many benefits:
Cognitive: eg. control attention
Emotional: eg. better emotional regulation
Physical: eg. lengthening the telomeres that age us when shortened

43
Q

mindfulness

A

One of the fastest growing areas of psychological research
Transforms and deepens consciousness
Focus on the “here and now”
Used to treat
Mood, anxiety disorders, sleep problems, drug and behavioural addictions, ADHD, eating disorders and anger management
Increasingly utilized in applied settings
School, sports and business, ect

44
Q

aerobic exercise

A

ercise that increases the heart rate and oxygen intake for a sustained period
May increas serotonin and endorphins
Lowered stress levels and increased happiness
Keeps the body fit and healthy
Effective at alleviating depression

45
Q

aerobic exercise and depression

A

Mildly depressed college women who participated in an aerobic exercise program showed markedly reduced depression, compared with those who did relaxation exercises or received no treatment

46
Q

sleep

A

Stress can cause sleep problems
-Hyperarousal (corisol)
Sleep deficiency can cause us to feel stressed
-Less patient, or agitated, emotionally creativity (things feel out of proportion)
But sleep can also reduce our feelings of and the effects of stress
-Blood pressure, cholesterol levels