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aqa a-level psychology paper 3 > stress > Flashcards

stress Flashcards

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1
Q

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system (HPA)

A

controls how body responds to chronic stress

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2
Q

Main features of the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system

A

hypothalamus communicates with pituitary gland, causing it to release ATCH. Hormone is detected in bloodstream by adrenal cortex, which then releases corticosteroids. These have a range of effects, such as causing the liver to release glucose

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3
Q

Sympathomedullary pathway (SAM)

A

controls how body initially responds to an acute stressor, trigger fight or flight response

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4
Q

main features of the Sympathomedullary pathway

A

hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system, which stimulates the adrenal medulla to release the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline into the bloodstream. This gets the body ready for fight or flight, e.g increase blood pressure and heartrate

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5
Q

Cortisol

A

hormone produced by adrenal cortex. Controls how body uses energy and suppresses immune system activity

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6
Q

general adaptation system (GAS)

A

Seyle said stress is body adapting to stressor. Protects body short term (acute) if prolonged (chronic) can be damaging

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7
Q

alarm reaction

A

Immediate shock response. Bodily resources decreased then quickly recovering. Systems activated for fight or flight

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8
Q

resistance

A

Adapt to stressful environment by resisting stressor. Physiological activity uses a lot of energy. Parasympathetic nervous system activated to conserve energy

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9
Q

exhaustion

A

Resources drained, re-experience symptoms from alarm stage (sweating, raised heart rate etc). Adrenal glands damaged and immune system compromised. Stress related illnesses occur

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10
Q

immunosuppression

A

Stress suppresses the immune system. E.g cortisol produced by HPA stress response inhibits production of lymphocytes.

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11
Q

Kiecolt-Glaser research

A

Study 1: medical students had suppressed immune response in exam seasons especially in those most lonely and experiencing other stress
Study 2: caregivers of ill relatives had weaker immune response, more ill days and higher levels of depression than non-caregiver control group.

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12
Q

strength of immunosuppression

A

Real-world benefits- Patients given hormones to stimulate immune system due to research

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13
Q

limitation of immunosuppression

A

Dharbhar found that stress can have immunoenhancing effects

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14
Q

cardiovascular disorders

A

Stress contributes to CVDs such as heart disease and strokes. Acute stress produces adrenaline which directly affects heart muscles

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15
Q

acute stress study

A

Stress of German football fans watching their team doubled their risk of having a cardiovascular event

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16
Q

chronic stress study

A

Found workplace stress and life events was the third largest contribute to stress in 15,000 people across different cultures who had had a heart attack

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17
Q

strength of cardiovascular disorders

A

Research support- Song exposure to chronic stress increases CVD risk

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18
Q

limitations of cardiovascular disorders

A

Effects of stress on CVDs are indirect

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19
Q

life changes

A

Having to make psychological adjustment to adapt E.g getting married, divorced, death of close relative, financial state changes

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20
Q

rahe procedure (navy)

A

US navy personnel completed schedule of recent experiences (version of SRRS) six months before tour of duty and LCU score calculated.
Once duty started, recorded every illness and an illness score made

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21
Q

rahe findings (navy)

A

significant positive correlation between LCU scores and illness scores. Those with most stressful life changes had most illnesses

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22
Q

Social readjustment rating scale (SRRS)

A

Holmes and Rahe:
measures stress by assigning a number of life change units (LCUs) to each item on a list (43 life events). Higher LCU value the more adjustment the life change needs, meaning more stressful, added up to give overall life change score

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23
Q

limitation of SRRS

A

-retrospective questionnaire- demand characteristics/ social desirability bias
-does not consider individual differences

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24
Q

daily hassels

A

Frequent and everyday irritations E.g can’t find your keys, worried about an argument, traffic

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25
Q

primary and secondary appraisal (hassles)

A

work out how subjectively threatening hassle is
subjectively consider how well equipped to cope with hassle

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26
Q

Hassles and uplifts scale (HSUP, Kanner)

A

self-report, assesses how many hassles person has and how severe they are. Uplifts are enjoyable things that offset stress of hassles.

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27
Q

limitations of hassles and uplifts scale

A

-relies on recall
-demand characteristics
-ignore major life events that can effect stress

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28
Q

what are uplifts

A

Uplifts are enjoyable things that offset stress of hassles

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29
Q

kanner procedure (hassles)

A

Constructed a hassles scale (checklist messing hassles in terms of how often they occur and how severe the are) which 100 pp completed every month. Life change scale taken one month before study and on the tenth month of the study. Also, Hopkins symptom checklist was taken.

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30
Q

kanner findings (hassles)

A

Significant positive correlation between hassle frequency and psychological symptoms

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31
Q

job demand-control model

A

stressful demands of job leads to poor health, dissatisfaction and absenteeism. can be modified by control employee has over their work.

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32
Q

bosma findings (job control, CHD)

A

No correlation between workload and illness. However, a low degree of control meant pp were more likely to have CHD 5 years later. True across all job grades

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33
Q

johansson procedure (sawmill)

A

natural experiment comparing two groups of workers at Swedish sawmill. Group 1- wood finishers (repetitive and little control yet demanding and lots of responsibility). Group 2- cleaners (more control and less responsibility). Measured illness and absenteeism and adrenaline and noradrenaline.

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34
Q

johansson (sawmill) findings

A

More stress related illnesses and absenteeism in finishers (low control job and lots of responsibility).Higher hormone level before they even got to work. Finishers hormones increased throughout day while cleaners (lots of control and less responsibility) decreased

35
Q

type A

A

Competitive, time urgent and hostile. Linked with CHD

36
Q

Type B

A

Laid back, relaxed and tolerant of others

37
Q

Type C

A

compliant, avoids conflict and suppresses emotions, linked with cancer

38
Q

Friedman and Rosenman (personality)

A

8 years after personality assessment, 70% of the men who developed CHD were type A. Type A’s higher adrenaline and noradrenaline and higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, type A vulnerable to stressors

39
Q

Dattore findings (cancer)

A

cancer patients significantly greater emotional repression and more depression symptoms than control group

40
Q

personality types strength

A

Real-world app- Can improve health related outcomes

41
Q

hardiness

A

Hardiness is aspect of personality that gives existential courage to deal with stress

42
Q

what are the three hardy traits

A

commitment, challenge and control

43
Q

commitment (hardy trait)

A

Hardy people deeply involved in relationships and activities and throw themselves into life

44
Q

challenge (hardy trait)

A

hardy people are resilient and see change as opportunity and stressful situations can help to learn

45
Q

control (hardy trait)

A

hardy people are in charge of events that happen to them

46
Q

Maddi

A

longitudinal study with managers in stressful situation at work. Found significant declines in performance and health in two-thirds of pp. One-third of the managers flourished- happier and more fulfilled at work. They scored highly on measure of the three C’s.

47
Q

strengths of hardiness

A

Real-world app- military forces

48
Q

limitations of hardiness

A

Concept too broad- should only focus on control

49
Q

benzodiazepines

A

BZs lessen anxiety associated with stress by quickly reducing physical arousal in the CNS. They do this by enhancing the mechanism that the body uses to naturally combat anxiety.

50
Q

benzodiazepines mode of action

A

BZs enhance active of GABA - a neurotransmitter that inhibits activity of neurons. In order to slow neural activity it combines with receptors on postsynaptic neuron which makes it less likely to fire (produce an action potential). Enhance neural inhibition, lowering CNS activity. BZs combine with receptors to make the neurons more responsive to GABA and less to other neurotransmitters. Individual feels less anxious and more relaxed

51
Q

beta blockers

A

BBs act on adrenaline and noradrenaline and reduce arousal of sympathetic nervous system

52
Q

beta blockers mode of action

A

adrenaline and noradrenaline are produced in sympathomedullary pathways an immediate response to a stressor. Hormones combine with beta-adrenergic receptors located throughout the cardiovascular system which is why heart rate and blood pressure increase during stress. BBs block the receptors so they cannot be stimulated by the hormones so blood pressure and heart rate don’t increase so no anxious feeling

53
Q

drug therapy strength

A

Research-support - in randomised controlled trials BZs were better than control group at reducing anxiety

54
Q

drug therapy limitation

A

side effects- drowsiness, weight gain, respiration problems and paradoxical reaction i.e opposite reactions you expect from treatment

55
Q

stress inoculation therapy (SIT)

A

form of cognitive behavioural therapy applied to stress management and tries to change the way we think about stress

56
Q

how long is SIT

A

the duration of the therapy varies for each person but is typically between 9-12 sessions each lasting around 1 hour.

57
Q

what are the three stages of SIT

A

conceptualisation, skill acquisition and rehearsal, and real life application

58
Q

conceptualisation (stage 1 of SIT)

A

therapist and client identify main stressor
warm and collaborative rappor
focus on the client’s ability to deal with certain stressors
main aim of this phase is for the client to view their stress is different way

59
Q

skill acquisition and rehearsal (stage 2 of SIT)

A

learn the skills to cope with stress tailored to the client’s specific needs. Eg, relaxation, cognitive restructuring and communication techniques
self talk, coping self-statements (You can do this!)
plan in advance how to deal with stress

60
Q

real life application (stage 3 of SIT)

A

techniques used to increase realism like role playing and visualisation
transfer of skills into real life
client feedbacks to the therapist about what has/hasn’t worked
gains more control over their anxiety
therapist also helps with relapse prevention/prepares for setbacks.

61
Q

limitations of stress inoculation therapy

A

Highly demanding of clients
Can be expensive
Can be overcomplicated
Can take a long period of time to reach full recovery

62
Q

strengths of stress inoculation therapy

A

High success rates / low relapse rates
Flexible
Better than drugs

63
Q

biofeedback aim

A

to give people control over involuntary physiological processes associated with stress

64
Q

how does biofeedback work

A

The client is connected to a machine which converts physiological activity into visual or auditory signals/images. Eg, Heart rate can be displayed on a monitor, an EEG will show brain activity.

65
Q

what are the three stages of biofeedback

A

awareness, learn control and transfer

66
Q

The training procedure (Budzynski 1973)
Phase 1

A

Awareness: Educational phase with a lot of input from the therapist. The client will become more aware with their physiological response.

67
Q

The training procedure (Budzynski 1973)
Phase 2

A

Learn control: The client learns to apply stress management techniques they have practised (deep breathing and muscle relaxation). As the client relaxes, changes will appear on the screen/monitor. Watching the screen along with praise from the therapist is rewarding for the client and reinforces their behaviour (operant conditioning).

68
Q

The training procedure (Budzynski 1973)
Phase 3

A

Transfer: Control of the response needs to be then transferred to everyday life. The client will practice in stressful situations rather than in the comfort of a therapy room. No equipment will be used.

69
Q

Davis 1986 (biofeedback, breast cancer)

A

Used biofeedback with women receiving treatment for breast cancer, after 8 months, levels of cortisol and reported anxiety were significantly lower. Davis concluded that this was evidence of significant stabilisation of hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal gland system in biofeedback.

70
Q

strength of biofeedback

A

+Scientific / controlled
+Inexpensive
+Relatively convenient

71
Q

limitations of biofeedback

A

-Can be very demanding
-Can be difficult for patient to grasp
-It may be the operant conditioning that brings about the response not the biofeedback itself

72
Q

what approach do men take to dealing with stress

A

problem-focused approach which reduces stress by tackling the root of the problem itself in a practical and rational way. This will typically involve taking control to remove the stress or learning different relaxation techniques.

73
Q

what approach do women take to dealing with stress

A

emotion-focused approach which removes stress by tackling it indirectly and focusing on the anxiety felt with stress. This can include various forms of avoidance like distractions and keeping busy

74
Q

tend and befriend

A

tending is being calm and nurturing offspring as well as blending in with the environment whereas befriending is seeking social support to cope with stress

75
Q

oxytocin

A

a hormone that drives the tend and befriend response and promotes feelings of goodwill and also has an important role in mother and baby bonding.

76
Q

Taylor et al (oxytocin)

A

found that higher levels of oxytocin were linked with lower cortisol levels in female ppts there was also quicker recovery of the HPA system after exposure to a stressful task. The female hormone oestrogen increases the effects of oxytocin and some male hormones reduce them

77
Q

role of social support

A

-Social support is support from others
-Common in women- ‘tend and befriend’
-Men use social support in a ‘problem focused’ way

78
Q

instrumental support

A

Practical support, physically doing something to help or providing information

79
Q

emotional support

A

Expressing warmth, concern and affection by saying things like ‘I’m sorry you’re going through a tough time’. To lift mood

80
Q

esteem support

A

Reinforce faith in self, belies and ability to tackle stressful situation.

81
Q

Cohen (social support)

A

pp who experience most interpersonal conflicts were more likely to be ill. Higher social support and more frequent hugs had significantly reduced risk

82
Q

strength of social support

A

Research support- skin cancer patients who had attended social support groups were much more likely to be healthy six months later

83
Q

limitation of social support

A

Gender differences- women and men respond to different types of social support differently

aqa a-level psychology paper 3 (5 decks)

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