7e Flashcards
Stress
a complex word with many different meanings
- can mean emotional trauma
- can mean chronic pressure from life demands
- can mean minor annoyances
what are the 3 major factors that determine a person’s physical health?
physiological factors (behavioural): stress, coping tactics, personality
- biological factors: immune response, infectius agents
- social factors: social support, health education
rating the intensity of stress: social readjustment rating scale (srrs) holmes &rahe
- a way to relate their stress to physical health
- involves a point system for the amout of stress caused by different life events (positive and negative)
- the idea is that stress comes from life changes
- they have points based on certain events
- divorce 75
- getting a job 20
- over the year you would get a total of how much stress you expericened
rating the intensity of stress: daily hassles scale (lazarus& deLongis)
- measuring the intensity of minor annoyances on a daily basis (waiting in line, commuting, etc.)
- there is no ratings for this one, but rather the degree that the individual is stressed out by a certain thing
hassles influence the impact of major stressors
the amount that daily stressors bother you can make dramatic life events really worse
evidence that stress is related to physical illness
when two groups of mice that had a virus that was related to breast cancer, the group that was in a stressful environment had a 92% rate of mice with cancer, opposed to the group that was in a comfortable place that had only 7% with cancer i nthe end
stressors that are related to physical illness
- lots of noise: heart probs, irritability, learning problems and distractability, fatigue
- loss of a loved one by diorce or death: 2yrs after death men are more supceptable to death or illness. for either gender there is a chance of heart disease etc.
- job stress: types of cancer and colds
- pverty and lower social status: almost every disease, but this may come from things other than stress
- culture shock: some period of confusion in the transition, can lead to physical symptoms, it can be eased by social support
why does stress lead to illness in some people but not others: hans selye
- when you have stress the body’s equilibrium is upset
- means that the body needs to restore that using resources that it generates
- these are things that evolved from the distant past
- there are many sources of stress nowadays, that are inevitable (people can always be stressed)
- thats why it may threaten physical health
is mental health related to the amount of pressure you feel everyday?
yes, very related
how do people respond to stress?
first there is a stressful event, like a date, or financial setback> then there is your interpretation of it. such as how much of a threat there is, or how familiar you are with it etc.> then there is the response, which is the: emotional (anger, grief etc.), physiological (hormonal fluctuations, autonomic arousal etc.), and behavioural response (coping efforts, blaming oneself, seeking help etc)
burnout from stress: causes, symptoms, and consequences
causes: work overload, lack of social support, lack of recognition, lack of control
- symptoms: exhaustion, cynicism, lowered self efficacy
- consequences: increased physical illness, decreased commitment to job, reduced productivity
the body’s response to stress: general adaption syndrome
alarm phase: you move to meet the immediate stress through arousal responses (fight or flight)
- resistance phase: your body’s alarm is maintained in an effort to resist the stressor, by being in this state, the body is more susceptible to other stressors, usually the body wins and the stress is no more
- the exhaustion phase: if we cant do anyting about the stress we are stuck in a state of disequillibium. the body cant sustain the readiness of fight or flight for too long. we will get exhausted and get burnout. we are more more vulnerable to threats cause we are more tired and weaker, and more vulnerable to physical problems and illness
relationship between negative emotions and health
- being ill can cuause negative emotions
- negative emotions can impair your health
- being more optimistic about your illness is good for you
can negative emotions cause illness?
there is a correlation
- Type A personality: people who are determined to achieve, and are always busy and irritable, achievement orientated
- Tybe B personality: people who are calm and relaxed, less intense, less focused on achievement.
- type A people are more likely to develop heart disease, because of their high levels or hostility towards things including yourself
- sometimes suppressing negative emotions can cause illness (this requires energy too)
how to reduce threats of negative emotions on health
communicate how you’re feeling, like a journal, or to a friend can redice the risk of illness
- carefully communicating causes of distress can be inconsistent with maintaining negative emotions (can make you rethink why you are mad, it helps you to cool off)
- forgiveness of past wrongs can improve well being. moving past harm caused to them by someone else
