Unit 7 - Stress and Health Flashcards
Give an example of how different cultures may leverage their social support networks in different ways
European Americans may prefer to write a letter asking advice from a friend
Asian Americans may prefer to reflect on important social groups in their life
Give 2 examples of how social support can intervene in the stress-illness pathway
1) May tell you not to stress about something (prevents you from deciding something is stressful)
2) May guide you towards healthier coping mechanisms (prevents you from responding in a way that brings illness)
What is the stress to illness pathway?
A potential stressor is encountered
You (concious or not) start to question if this thing is stressful
You decide yes
There are emotional, behavioural and physiological responses
These lead to illness if the stressor is maintained a long time
True or false: You need to talk to your friends about your struggles to mitigate the physiological responses of stress
False: Just the presence of supportive ppl can do this!
How does social support help people?
-INC well-being
-Gives + emotions
-Gives sense of stability
-May intervene in stress-induced illness pathway
Of these 4, which is the most influential when it comes to INC life expectancy?
-managing alcohol use
-quitting smoking
-social support
-exercise
social support!
What is social support?
The degree to which you feel like you can turn on others for
-Help
-Info
-Comfort
-Advice
What is the general adaptation syndrome?
-3 stages of a stress response
1) Alarm
2) Resistance
3) Exhaustion
What is Alarm
Fight or flight
-How you brain responds to a threat
Does you brain know the difference in a bear threat vs an exam season threat?
No! Same response!
What is Resistance?
Fending off further attack
-Immune system is protecting us more
-More O2 given to muscles
What is Exhaustion?
We run out of our ability to adapt to the stressor bc it has gone on too long
-Immune system weakens
-may result in chronic illness
What are the 3 main categories of stressful events?
Catastrophic (Leads to long-standing effects and exceeds many ppl’s ability to adapt) ex: Natural Disaster
Major Life Event (ex: divorce, buying a new house, illness)
Daily annoyances (If enough add up over time it can lead to health issues) ex: traffic, spilling coffee, anger with boss
Do major life event stressors need to be negative?
No!
Are stressors always mental?
No! they can also be physical ex: A racecar driver undergoes physical stress
