13: Psychobiology Flashcards
What are the different types of stress?
Can be a stimulus E.g. events that place strong demands on us
Can be a response - physiological response to stress –> fight and flight (also negative emotions etc)
What happens during a stress response?
Normally SNS increase + activation of Hipoythalamic pituitary adrenocortical axis –> more sustained stress response
Explain the General Adaptation Syndrome to stress
- alarm reaction
- shift to SNS reaction
- caues increased arousal
- resistance
- endocriene system activation
- and activation of immune system
- Maintains increased arousal
- exhaustion
- depletion of resurces of endocrine (adrenals) and immune system –> more vulnerable to consequences of stress (chronic stress)
What is stress?
Stress is a combination of a stimulus and a resposnse –> Can be positive and negative
- Togehter:
- pattern of cognitive appraisals
- emotional reactions
- physiological responses
- and behavioural tendencies
- that occur in response to a perceived imbalance between
- situational demands (primary appraisal) and
- resources needed to cope with them (secondary appraisal).
What is a cognitive appraisal of stress?
Primary appraisal of stress
- How hard will it be?
- How much will it count?
Secondary appraisal
- How does my current situation influence it? e.g.
- what do i already know to pass the exam
Also taken into account:
- consequences of failing
- likelyhood and seriousness can be evaluated differently depending on personal beliefs
Explain the relationship between stress and performance
for good performance: a little bit of stress is good
What is the overall relationship between stress and disease
Stress might lead to
- unhealthy lifestyle choices (behavioral change)
- physiological changes due to stress
–> Increasing the likelyhood of Disease
Explain the relationship between CHD and stress
High response to stress: –> higher likelihood of coronary artery calcification
- more stress might lead to increase in CHD
Explain the relationship between would healing and stress
Slower would healing in more stressful period - might be due to decreased production of IL1(decreased immune function)
What are the features of a Type A (personality)?
- Ultra-competitice
- Time urgency
- Free-floating
- hostility
- Hyper-aggressiveness
- Focus on accomplishment
- Competitive and goal-driven
Explain the relationship between a Type A personality and CHD
Type A personalities have higher risk of CHD
- (doubled) due to
- also due to unhealthy lifestyle changes
- but also just behavior pattern alone 30% increase in risk
- Main driver; hostility and quickness to aggression for behavior factor
- (but poor replication, not 100% proved)
Explain the relationship between depression and CHD
Depression: increased risk in CHD and outcome of someone with CHD poorer (increased mortality)
Possibly due to
- phyiolgical changes (e.g. platelet activation)
- and behavior changes (smoking)
What are different coping mechanisms with stress
- problem focussed
- emotion focussed
- Seeking social support
Explain the difference between approach and avoidance in coping with illness/ stress
- Approach = activity that is oriented toward a threat (e.g. problem-solving, planning a response)
- Avoidance = activity that is oriented away from a threat (e.g., denial, distraction) –> coping strategy might depend in the situation
What is the role of social support in health?
Important: people who rate social support higher
- live longer possibly
- increased quality of life
- possibly: low social support leading to side effect like
- poor health behavior,
- depression etc
True mechanism is not clear
