Session 4 Flashcards
What does the Transactional model say about stress?
That it is a process
What triggers the short term changes in the flight or fight response?
Catecholamines (Adrenaline/Noradrenaline)
How does the immune system react to short term and long term stress?
Short term - Up regulation to prepare for damage
Long term - Decreased immune function due to Cortisol constantly being present
What is the General Adaption Syndrome for stress?
Alarm (Fight/Flight) –> Resistance (Adapting&Resisting) –> Exhaustion (Defence resources depleted)
What are some of the flaws in the General Adaption Syndrome?
It is a good theory for our ancestors who didn’t have chronic stress.
Doesn’t account for differences between individuals
Claims that the response to all stressors is the same
What is the Transactional/Interactional model of stress?
That there is an interaction between a person and whats going on in the outside world. Stress occurs if the individual feels they do not have the resources to cope with the event in the outside world
What features of a stressor effect the reaction in the Transactional model of stress?
Novelty of the stressor
Unpredictability/Ambiguity
Salience (Importance)
Control
What individual influences may effect the reaction in the Transactional model of stress?
How stressed the individual is already
Personality
Resources (Social support, time, money, health)
Coping strategies
What are some of the evaluation points for the Transactional model of stress?
It accounts for individual’s variation
Considers Biological and social aspects
It suggests how to manage stress
HOWEVER, it is a difficult to ‘prove’ such a complex model
What are the 4 ways (According to Cox et al) stress can influence your health?
Physical damage (e.g. CVS) Immune system (Weakening) Unhealthy behaviour (Smoking, Drinking alcohol) Mental health (More rigid under stress)
What are some of the ways of managing stress?
Cognitive strategies - Behavioural, Emotional, Physical
Non- Cognitive strategies - Drugs
What are the 2 main ways of coping?
Emotion focused
Problem focused
What is emotion focused coping?
Change the emotion (Cognitive and behavioural)
What is problem focused coping?
Change the problem or resources you have (Reduce demands of situation, expand resources to deal with it)
How can clinicians aid a patient’s coping?
- Increase/Mobilise social support
- Increase personal control (Easier with some diseases than others eg Diabetes)
- Prepare the patients for stressful events (Effective communication. Helps to reduce uncertainty)
- Stress management techniques
