FINAL EXAM Flashcards
(155 cards)
Stress
State of mental or emotional strain or tension from adverse or very demanding circumstances
Hans Selye
Hungarian born Canadian endocrinologist working out of McGill. He was a pioneer of biological effects of stressful stimuli
Selye definition of stress
The non-specific response of the body to any demand” & “That which produces stress”
General adaptation syndrome (GAS):
- Alarm: Body recognizes a stressor and is in state of alarm (activation of flight or fight)
- Resistance: Follows alarm reaction, it is a removal or disappearance of symptoms
- Exhaustion: As a result of chronic stress the body’s resources are depleted and unable to function properly
SAM system (3):
- Sympatho-adrenal-medullary pathway
- Perceived through the sympathetic nervous system of the autonomic nervous system
- Increases secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine
Consequences of the SAM system (5):
- Suppression of cellular immune function
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate
- Variations in normal heart rhythm
- Sweating
- Neurochemical imbalances
HPA system (4):
- Hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal pathway
- Hypothalamus sends message to pituitary
- Anterior pituitary gland secretes ACTH
- This activates adrenal cortex to produce cortisol and glucocorticoids
Consequences of the HPA system (3):
- Cognitive decline
- Immuno-suppression
- Insulin resistance
Cortisol
Steroid hormone that the adrenal glands produce and release
Ways stress can be measured (5):
- Schedule of recent experiences - self report checklists
- Age specific checklists
- Life events and difficulties scale
- Interviews
- Difference in biographical circumstances
Problems with measuring stress via checklist (3):
- Memory and recall of life event
- What constitutes a life event; people interpret descriptors in very different ways
- Other factors influence how people respond (eg. Culture, gender, age)
Cognitive appraisal theory:
Originated in sociology/psychology. It was developed by Lazarus to describe and explain individual differences in adaptation
Theories of cognitive appraisal theory (3):
- Individuals constantly evaluate their relationship with the environment
- Behavioural and emotional responses determined by meaning attached to situation
- Psychological stress occurs when individuals appraise an interaction between themselves and the environment as greater than resource
3 types of stress appraisals:
- Harm or loss
- Threat
- Challenge
Life stress can lead to… (9):
- Asthma
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Cardiovascular disease
- Chronic pain
- HIV/AIDS
- Stroke
- Cancer
Animal research
Stress contributes to initiation, growth and metastasis of tumors
Human research
Stress contributes to antiviral defenses, DNA repair and cellular aging
According to Association of Dispositional Mindfulness with Stress article, what is the most common causes of stress among undergraduate students
Academic activities
Examples of academic stressors (5):
- Workload
- Too much information
- Studying
- Pressure to make friends when moving abroad
- Stress from living on residence
Psychological well-being (6):
- Autonomy
- Self-acceptance
- Environmental mastery
- Personal growth
- Purpose in life
- Positive relations with others
Cortisol levels at night vs morning
Low overnight and increase progressively during morning
Mindfulness
Awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment
Dispositional mindfulness would be associated with (4):
- Lower perceived stress
- Lower physiological stress
- Higher psychological well-being
- Greater perceived stress = disrupted cortisol secretion, lower well-being
Stress-elicited endocrine responses (2):
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA)
- Sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM)