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U2 Health Psychology > Lecture 7 Stress > Flashcards

Lecture 7 Stress Flashcards

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1
Q

What is Stress?

A

Stress is a negative emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioural changes that are directed either toward altering the stressful event or accommodating to its effects (Baum, 1990).

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2
Q

Definition of Stressor

A 
chemical or biological agent
environmental condition,
external stimulus or 
event 
that causes stress to an organism (Sato et al., 2006)
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3
Q

Types of Stressors

A

physical
psychological
acute
chronic

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4
Q

explain physical stressors

A

all animals (human and not): e.g., heat, cold, pain, fatigue, injury, hunger, predators.

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5
Q

explain psychological stressors

A

generally only humans: e.g., grades, job security, money, relationships, traffic, noise, crowding, commuting to work

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6
Q

explain acute stressors

A

demand immediate attention
But do not last long
appear suddenly
many physical stressors are acute

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7
Q

explain chronic stressors

A

do not require immediate attention
but last a long time and are constant source of worry
most psychological stressors are chronic

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8
Q

Hassles are minor life events that …

A 
Have cumulative effect
Reduce psychological well-being over short term
Produce physical symptoms in long term
Examples:
Being stuck in traffic
Waiting in line
Doing household chores
Having difficulty making a small decision
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9
Q

who was the discoverer of the “Stress Syndrome”

A

Hans Selye

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10
Q

explain General Adaptation Syndrome that Selye researched

A

Exposed rats to stressors; observed physiological responses
Found: all stressors, regardless of type, produced physiological responses:
Enlarged adrenal cortex
Adrenocortical response to stress (involves cortex)
Shrunken thymus and lymph nodes
Ulceration of the stomach and duodenum
Resembles: Activation of HPA axis

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11
Q

what does General Adaptation Syndrome most closely resemble

A

Activation of HPA axis

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12
Q

explain the General Adaptation Syndrome

A

non-specific response of the body to demand

Three stages:

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13
Q

what are the 3 stages of the General Adaptation syndrome

A

Alarm: organism becomes mobilized to meet demand
Resistance: organism makes efforts to cope
Exhaustion: organism fails to cope; depletes its physiological resources

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14
Q

what does Allostatic Load refer to

A

to fact that physiological systems within the body fluctuate to meet demands from stress  called allostasis

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15
Q

EXPLAIN Allostatic Load

A

Based on Selye’s ideas

Process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, through physiological or behavioral change

Over time, allostatic load builds up
physiological costs of chronic exposure to fluctuating or heightened neural or neuroendocrine responses

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16
Q

what are the Allostatic Load Measurement/biomarkers

A 
Decreases in cell-mediated immunity
Inability to shut off cortisol in response to stress
Lowered heart rate variability
Elevated epinephrine levels
High waist-to-hip ratio
Decreased hippocampal volume
Problems with memory
High plasma fibrinogen
Elevated blood pressure
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17
Q

what are the General Adaptation Syndrome criticisms

A

According to its critics, Selye’s model:
Does not consider psychological appraisal of stress (he tested rats!)
Assumes that responses to stress are uniform, but:
Not all stressors produce same endocrinological responses
How people respond influenced by personality, perception, biological constitution

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18
Q

explain stress appraisal Richard Lazarus & Susan Folkman

A

What matters is not what event occurs, but how we perceive and interpret that event.
appraisal

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19
Q

what are the steps to the The Stress Appraisal Process

A 
primary appraisal
secondary appraisal
stress
coping
repraisal
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20
Q

explain primary appraisal from The Stress Appraisal Process

A 
evaluate:
Is it
Positive, negative, or neutral? 
If negative, is it:
Harmful, threatening or challenging?
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21
Q

explain secondary appraisal from The Stress Appraisal Process

A

evaluate if you have Sufficient coping abilities and resources?

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22
Q

what is Holmes & Rahe: Stressful Life Events (SLE)

A

tries to list what stressful events one will go through in their lifetime

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23
Q

what are the criticism on the stressful life events

A

Fails to consider individual differences in experience and reporting of events
(Primary appraisal)

Does not assess whether resolved or not
(Secondary appraisal)

Does not include ongoing life strain (chronic stress)

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24
Q

what are Contextual Threat Interviews

Study These Flashcards
A

Semi-structured clinical interviews
Major life events and chronic stressors by domain (8)
E.g. school/work,peers, romantic, family,health, body image, money
Blind team assessment of OBJECTIVE impact for the average person in the same context

25
what are the advantages of Contextual Threat Interviews
Reduce subjective biases Assess objective impact Culturally sensitive by-default
26
what are the disadvantages of Contextual Threat Interviews
Labour intensive, training & administering | Expensive & long
27
explain Shelley Taylor et al. (2000): Tend-and-Befriend
Proposition: males and females have different stress responses; each adaptive for that sex
28
explain the male response to stress according to tend-and-befriend
Males: fight-or-flight, activated by testosterone
29
explain the female response to stress according to tend-and-befriend
Females: tend-and-befriend, activated by oxytocin Tending: Nurturing activities, to protect offspring Befriending: Seeking social support befriend component brings social behaviour into stress processes
30
what are the Tend-and-Befriend Evolutionary Arguments
male and female stress responses were adaptive for their gender roles at the time: Men responsible for hunting and protection Women responsible for foraging and child care Women's responses to stress (tend-and-befriend) evolved to protect not only themselves, but their offspring as well
31
what are the Tend-and-Befriend Criticisms
Misogynistic, reflects societal sexism Ignores cultural factors that contribute to gender differences Men also tend and befriend, women also fight and flee Determining factor: situation Reductionistic – reducing reaction to biological mechanism (oxytocin) Reinforces gender stereotypes
32
What are predictors of stress?
Increase likelihood of stress happening | Called: Vulnerabilities
33
What are moderators of stress:
Increase or decrease strength of relationship between stressful conditions and outcomes, e.g., getting sick
34
explain Vulnerability Factors of stress
Cognitive: self-esteem, locus-of-control, perceived self-competency Interpersonal: dependency, attachment style, reassurance seeking Personality: perfectionism, self-criticism, neuroticism
35
Perfectionism associated with:
high stress the practice of fewer wellness-promoting behaviours an increase in the risk of mortality among older adults
36
Two of the most important factors that moderate the strength of the relationship between stress and negative outcomes are what
Coping | Social Support
37
Moderators of the stress experience may have an impact on:
Stress itself The relationship between stress and illness The relationship between stress and psychological responses How much a stressful experience affects other aspects of a person's life
38
define coping
Thoughts and behaviours used to manage the external and internal demands of a stressor
39
the Coping definition is: good why
Dynamic: Focuses on ongoing set of responses by which person and environment are involved in reciprocal interaction Objective: Includes resources that individual has available to face the situation Subjective: Includes beliefs that individual has in their own ability to cope
40
what are Coping Styles
General way person tends to cope with stressors E.g.: Approach- vs. avoidance-oriented Approaching: confrontative, vigilant Avoidance: minimizing, e.g. through distraction
41
what are the two main coping styles
Approach- vs. avoidance-oriented
42
Benefits and Costs of | Approach coping:
may lead to short-term anxiety but good coping with long-term stressors works when specific actions can reduce stressor
43
benefits and costs of Avoidant coping
benefit when stress is overwhelming (reduces intense emotions) but does not reduce demands of stressor
44
what are some Coping Strategies
Problem-focused coping | Emotion-focused coping
45
what is Problem-focused coping
Doing something constructive about negative events to reduce demands Good when demands of situation relatively manageable
46
what is Emotion-focused coping
Attempting to regulate emotions | Helpful when low control over stressor or low available resources
47
Factor Influencing Coping:
Optimism vs. Pessimism
48
explain Optimism
More problem-focused coping, seeking social support, emphasizing positive aspects of stressful situation
49
explain Pessimism
Denial and distancing from event, focusing on stressful feelings pessimistic explanatory style: interpreting negative events in terms of internal, stable, and global factors Reduced capacity to cope with stress
50
what are the different forms of Social Support: Buffer of Stress
Instrumental support Informational support Emotional support
51
define Instrumental support
Involves the provision of material support
52
define Informational support
The provision of information to a person going through stress by friends, family, and other people in the individual’s social network
53
define Emotional support
The assurance that one is a valuable individual who is cared for
54
is there a link between Social Support and Optimism
Brissette, Scheier, and Carver (2002) University students who were optimists coped more effectively with the transition to university Why? They were more likely to use seeking social support as a coping strategy
55
what is the link between the Social Support and HPA axis
Supportive companion present during a stressful situation Subdued HPA axis response Thought to be due to release of oxytocin
56
Effects of Stress on Immune Function
lower immune functioning an this leads to chronic diseases
57
what appears to increase immune function during stress
regular exercise
58
explain Coping with Stress: Stress Inoculation Training
Identify what events cause stress Teaching variety of techniques to deal with these events Trying techniques to identify what works best

U2 Health Psychology (20 decks)

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