Stress

Question 1

What is Stress?

Answer 1

A state of threatened homeostasis provoked by a psychological, biological, or physiological stressor

Question 2

Acute stressor

Answer 2

Short-term stressors, non-frequent
Ex. Late for class

Question 3

Chronic Stressor

Answer 3

Prolonged, long-term stressors that may take extended period of time to resolve
Ex. terrible roommate

Question 4

What is cortisol?

Answer 4

• Stress hormone
• Responsible for alertness, and can trigger the release of glucose from liver to increase energy

Question 5

Why is you cortisol high when you wake up?

Answer 5

Helps you wake up and prepare to start your day
- Cortisol Awakening Response

Question 6

What is the Adaptive Calibration Model?

Answer 6

• Individual differences in stress responsively are largely the result of conditional adaption

Question 7

What does externalizing refer to?

Answer 7

• Defiance, impulsivity, aggression & antisocial behavior

Question 8

True or False: Lower cortisol is associated with higher learning/ memory

Answer 8

True
- Higher cortisol is associated with poor learning/ memory

Question 9

What is threat?

Answer 9

• Presence of experiences that represent a safety threat

Question 10

What is deprivation?

Answer 10

• Absence of expected environmental inputs

Question 11

In what ways does cortisol affect your body?

Answer 11

-Metabolism: decreases it
- Inflammation: weak immune system
- Blood-pressure: high
- Blood-sugar: high; type 2 diabetes
- Sleep-wake cycle: can’t sleep

Question 12

What is a Sensitive Response Pattern?

Answer 12

• A type of Moderate response
  - AUCg & AUCi, but activate minor stressor
• Found in youth who:
  - Infrequent HPA activation
  - Genetic Predisposition
• Youth will be:
  - Reflective & Conscientious
  - High in inhibitory control & executive function
• Consequences of environmental mismatch
  - Large stressor environment
  - individual HPA axis is constantly firing

Question 13

What are children who experience adversity at risk for?

Answer 13

• Irregular regulation of emotions
• Risk for developing psychopathology

Question 14

What is a Buffered Response Pattern?

Answer 14

• It is a moderate response
  - AUCg & AUCi; not as sensitive to stress as sensitive pattern
• Found in youth who had moderate HPA activation in 1st year
  -Less sensitive to stressors
• Can present as “protective factor”

Question 15

How does Bottom-Up Processing work?

Answer 15

-Brain and limbic system
to
- Higher cortical regions

Question 16

What are some types of physiological markers of stress?

Answer 16

• Autonomic Nervous System
• Inflammation
• Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia
  -HPA Axis

Question 17

What is the Autonomic Nervous System?

Answer 17

• it controls vital functions such as heartbeat, breathing, & digestion
• Activates very fast
• Measured by salivary alpha-amylase & norepinephrine

Question 18

How does inflammation work with stress?

Answer 18

• Measured by IL-6 (protein)
• When body is inflamed, we are at risk for being sick

Question 19

How is Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia response with stress?

Answer 19

• Closer beats means there’s more stress
• Measured by assessing heart rate, rhythm & the intervals between heart beats

Question 20

What is the HPA axis?

Answer 20

• Measured by cortisol
• Cortisol peaks after 15-20 minutes after stress exposure

Question 21

What does HPA stand for?

Answer 21

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

Question 22

What is the order of the HPA axis activates?

Answer 22

1. Hypothalamus
   to
2. Pituitary
   to
3. Adrenal Glands

Question 23

Where are the adrenal glands located?

Answer 23

• On top of the kidneys

Question 24

What is area under the curve with respect to ground?

Answer 24

• Measures total hormonal output
• Values can only be positive

Question 25

Vigilant Response Pattern

Answer 25

• It is an Elevated Response
  - High AUCg & AUCi
• Found in youth who:
  - raised in high stress/ dangerous environments
  - allocate more resources towards future threats

Question 26

How does top-down processing work?

Answer 26

• Prefrontal cortex
  to
• Midbrain/ brain stem via amygdala

Question 27

What is a Critical Period?

Answer 27

• A maturational determined “window of opportunity” when development can be influenced by experience
  -Skill might not develop ever

Question 28

What is a sensitive period?

Answer 28

• Explicit boundaries are not absolute

Question 29

How do Males & Females differ with Stress?

Answer 29

• Males
  - More fight behaviors:
  -risk-taking
  - Aggression
  - Low Cooperation
• Females
  - More flight:
  - social anxiety
  - decrease risk taking
  - Fearful & withdrawn
  - Highly sensitive to social cues

Question 30

What is Eustress?

Answer 30

• a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, & emotional well-being

Question 31

True or False: Maltreated youth have less activity in amygdala

Answer 31

False
- They have more activity
- also have reduced prefrontal inhibitory activation

Question 32

What is unemotional response pattern?

Answer 32

• It is a BLUNTED response
  - low AUCg & AUCi
• Found in youth who:
  - experienced severe stress
  - genetic predisposition
• Inhibits learning & sensitivity to social feedback and increase risk-taking behavior due to lack of danger cues

Question 33

What is area under the curve with respect to increase?

Answer 33

• Response to stressor
• Measure individual reactivity
• Values can be negative too

Question 34

What are the steps to the body responding to stress?

Answer 34

1. Individual experiences a stressor
2. The hypothalamus recognizes the stressor
3. The pituitary signals to the adrenal glands
4. The adrenal glands release cortisol
5. Body responds
   - flight of fight