Unit 3 AOS 2 Flashcards
(16 cards)
Internal and External stressors
Internal: These are causes of stress that originate withinin an individual and can be bothe psychological and biological. Biological includes having an illness, disease or condition that affects physical wellbeing. Psychological result from a persons mental processes and include thoughts, mindset and feelings such as fear.
External: Are sources of stress from outside an individual. They include environmental events and social or cultural stressors such as loud noises, extreme temperatures, life events such as weddings or graduating, loss of a significant relationship, and environmental catastrophes such as bush fires.
Stressor
Any event that causes stress and is a psychobiological process.
Acute Stress
Acute stress is a short type of stressor that usually occurs because of a sudden threat such as sitting an exam or facing a work deadline. This can also be a very intense type of stressor and involve life threating situations such as being the victim of assault.
Chronic Stress
Involves a prolonged and constant feeling of stress. Tends to be worse for your body because it can supress your immune system, upset your digestive and reproductive systems, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and speeding up ageing process. Can also leave you more vulnerable to mental health prolems i.e depression, anxiety.
F-F-F
Flight-fight-freeze refers to an automatic biological response to a perceived stressor that increases our chances of survival in our environment. Flight referring to evading or escaping the stressor, fight dealing with the stressor directly, freeze immobilising the body through minimising movement. Sympathetic NS is involved as well as acute stress response.
Cortisol
In times of prolonged or chronic stress a stress hormone is released from the adrenal cortex. It benefits us in these times by boosting our energy levels, heightening our alertness, increasing body’s ability to repair tissue. Despite benefits high levels of cortisol in bloodstream for a long time can be detrimental. This is cuz it supresses the immune system, making us more susceptible to contagious illnesses.
The Gut Brain Axis
Refers to the connection between the CNS and the the enteric NS. The GBA enables bidirectal communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract.
Enteric NS
Is a subdivision of the autonomic NS and controls the digestive systemand is derctly connected to the CNS. It coordinates the rhythmic muscle contractions that move material along the digestive tract. Regulates gastric acid secretion, changes in local blood flow and the release of gut hormones, and interacts with the immune system.
The Vagus Nerve
The bidirectal communication that occurs between the CNS and the ENS happens via the vagus nerve. One of the biggest nerves that connects the CNS to organs within the autonomic NS. Controls many crucial bodily functions including mood, immune response, digestion and heart rate.
Microbiota
Refers to the trillions of microbes, such as bacteria, that live in the human gut. Microbes digest the compnents of our food to provide their own nutrition while also simultaneously providing us with energy and nutrients. Also involved in the production of some neurotransmitters. Found to play a role in regulating stress related changes in physioligy, behaviour and brain function.
Bioligical model of stress (General Adaption Syndrome stages)
GAS is a typical physiological syndrome that appears when exposed to stressful stimuli.
Stage 1 Alarm reaction: Occurswhen we first become aware of the stressor and the body responds to immediate threat or challenge. Shock phase acute stress response occurs whereby the bodys ability to resist and deal wit the situation drops. Decrease in muscle tone, body temp and clood sugar levels. Countershock phase: body attempts to compensate for the acute stress response. Stress hormones(adrenaline and cortisol) are released, increase in muscle tension, heart rate, body gucose, and temp. Body’s ability to deal with the stressor rises.
Stage 2 Resistance: Actively dealing wit the stressor and the bodys ability to deal wit the stressor continues to rise above normal. Cortisol high helps repair any damage to the body. The body can adapt to the strains or demands of the environment for some time, but not indefinitely.
Stage 3 Exhaustion: Body runs out of reserves because it has been fighting for long time. Energy stores are depleted and you become very vulnerable to disease and heart attack and stuff.
Psychological model of stress (Lazarus and Folkman)
Primary Appraisal: The individual determines if the situation or event is significant to them, stressful or not stressful.
If not stressful its categorised as:
Irrelevant or benign/positive: Irrelevant- the situation or event has no implications on the individuals wellbeing.
Benign/positive- situation or event either maintains wellbeing (benign) or enhances wellbeing (positive).
If stressful its categorised as:
Threat, harm/loss, or challenge:
Threat- anticipated harm/loss in the future because of the event. characterised by fear, anxiety and apprehension.
Harm/loss - damage to the individual that has already occured. characterised by sadness, despair or anger.
Challenge - perceived to have the potential for personal
gain or growth. Characterised by eagerness, excitement and exhilaration.
Secondary appraisal: The individual assesses available resources and coping strategies to handle the stressor, then chooses and enacts a strategy. They then evaluate the outcome’s success and adjust their approach if necessary.
Coping flexibility
It is our ability to give up an ineffective coping strategy and to devise and implement an alternative, more effective strategy. It includes the ability to:
* recognise whether the use of a coping strategy is appropriate
for a specific situation
* select a coping strategy that suits the circumstances of the
situation
* recognise when the coping strategy being used is ineffective, discontinue using an ineffective coping strategy and implement an alternative, a more effective coping strategy.
Context-specific effectiveness
an assessment of whether a strategy matches or is appropriate for a stressful situation. It also considers whether a coping strategy is effective from aspects of the situation such as the physical environment, the stressor itself and the individual involved. In any given situation, for a coping strategy to be successful, it must match the specific demands of the stressor and be suited to the relevant personal characteristics of the individual involved, such as their personality, knowledge or skills.
Approach and Avoidance strategies
Approach strategies are efforts to confront a stressor and
deal directly with it and its effects, it’s causes and create a solution that will address the underlying problem, issue or concern and minimise or eliminate its impact.
Avoidance strategies are used to avoid the stressor rather than deal with it directly. They are maladaptive because they involve changing your behaviour to avoid thinking about, feeling or doing difficult things. They tend to take your focus away from the stressor and you do not confront the stressor and its causes. Avoidance strategies are usually temporarily beneficial because they relieve stress in the short term. However, in the long term the source of the stress will still be there and using avoidance may make your situation worse.
Impact of chronic stress and cortisol on gut microbiota.
The combined effects of stress and increased cortisol levels can lead to imbalanced gut microbiota, which is associated with anxiety-based behaviours and depression(linked to GBA). Imbalanced gut microbiota also can lead to impacts such as stomach ulcers and aches.
