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Health Psychology- Unit 3 > B1- Stress > Flashcards

B1- Stress Flashcards

1
Q

Causes of stress

A
  • life events
  • daily hassles
  • workplace stress
  • personality
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2
Q

Life events

A

a big event (+/-) that happens from time to time in our lives
They’re stressful because they require us to adapt and adjust to cope with the change
- the bigger the life event, the more we need to adjust

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3
Q

Measuring life events

A

Holmes + Rahe created the SRRS which measures how large a life event is, measured in LCUs
SRRS suggested a higher score meant a higher chance of developing a stress related illness

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4
Q

Evaluation
- strength

A

Supporting research
- evidence from a study showed 200 out of 17,000 people developed asthma after experiencing significant life events
- this is powerful as it predicts future illness from past events

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5
Q

Evaluation
- weakness

A

Positive and Negative life events
- it assumes both + and - life events can be stressful, but a study showed negative life events cause more stress
- negative life events have a higher LCU
- would be better to focus on + and - separately

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6
Q

Daily Hassles

A

everyday irritations/ frustrations that happen to us daily and cause stress after a build up throughout the day
- they threaten our health because we can experience lots of them and their effects add up

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7
Q

Secondary Appraisal

A

assessing our perceived ability to cope, can cause positive stress :) that helps us overcome the situation or negative stress :(

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7
Q

Primary appraisal

A

a quick assessment to decide if the hassle is a threat, if yes then you move onto secondary appraisal

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8
Q

Measuring daily hassles

A

Hassles Scale:
- every night select all the hassles you have experienced in the day and rate 0-3 with severity of hassle
- uplifts are small daily boost that can counteract the effects of hassles

Life events bring daily hassles

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9
Q

Evaluation
- strength

A

Supporting evidence
- research shows that daily hassles have a greater impact on health then life events as they’re everyday stressors

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10
Q

Evaluation
- weakness

A

Retrospective
- because daily hassles are minor and frequent, they are easily forgotten or alternatively magnified
- so people may under/over estimate their experience

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11
Q

Workplace stress

A
  • Intra/Inter role conflict
  • Workplace environment
  • level of control
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12
Q

Intra-role conflict

A

when an employees role has competing demands
e.g. 2 jobs at work at once

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13
Q

Inter-role conflict

A

when a person has 2 roles with competing demands
e.g balancing work and home life

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14
Q

Effects of the work environment

A

Temperature:
- hot/cold work places can cause stress and aggression

Noise:
- loud sounds that are not in our control cause stress

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15
Q

Level of control

A

Not having control = stress (-)
Having/Can control = no stress (+)

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16
Q

Evaluation
- strength

A

Research support confirms importance
- a study showed employees who report low job control has stress related illness in later life
- lacking job control is a significant stressor

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17
Q

Evaluation
- weakness

A

Cultural differences
- study showed lack of job control is only considered stressful in individualist cultures than collectivist
- suggests lack of job control causing stress is not universal

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18
Q

Personality

A

Types:
- Hardy personality
- Type A
- Type B

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19
Q

Hardy personality

A

a personality used to explain why some people seem able to thrive in stressful circumstances

Consists of:
- commitment
- challenge
- control

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20
Q

Type A Personality

A

describes someone who is competitive, impatient and hostile in most situations

  • research links this type of personality to stress-related illness such as cornoary heart disease
21
Q

Type B Personality

A

describes someone who is laid back, relaxed and tolerant of others in most situations
- opposite of Type a

22
Q

Evaluation
- weakness

A

2Cs or 3Cs
- we assume 3Cs contribute equally but there is a significant overlap
- we should abandon challenge and focus on commitment and control
- this means that research for hardy personality lacks validity and practicality

22
Q

Evaluation
- strength

A

Research support for type A
- there is research suggesting Type As role in illness
- a study showed participants who had a stroke were more likely to have type A
- personality is a valid predictor of stress related illness

23
Physiological responses to stress
- the body's response
24
The role of SAM and the HPA system in chronic and acute stress
- The general adaptation syndrome = GAS - Sympathomedullary system = SAM - Hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal system = HPA
24
General Adaptation Syndrome GAS
- a reaction to all stressors - helps the body cope with a stressor - includes a group of symptoms/ responses
25
3 Stages of GAS
The body responds in the same way to any stressor: - Stage 1 = Alarm reaction - Stage 2 = Resistance - Stage 3 = Exhaustion
26
Stage 1 Alarm Reaction
when the threat is recognised, the hypothalamus triggers production of adrenaline ready for fight or flight
27
Stage 2 Resistance
- when the threat ends, functioning returns to normal - if the threat continues, a longer-term response starts using up body's resources causing physiological problems: immune system decrease
28
Stage 3 Exhaustion
- all the resources needed to resist the threat are used up - you begin to re- experience initial symptoms - stress-related illness is now likely
29
Acute stress
from a short-term threat requiring immediate response
30
Chronic stress
from a threat that continues over weeks/months
31
Sympathomedullary System SAM
the body's automatic response to an acute stressor - the hypothalamus (regulator) triggers the SNS which causes a release of adrenaline from adrenal medulla (brain) - this is the fight or flight response
32
Medullary
middle of our 2 adrenal glands
33
Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal System HPA
the body's response to a chronic stressor - the hypothalamus triggers pituitary gland to release the hormone ACTH which stimulates the release of cortisol from adrenal coretx
34
Cortisol
regulates the body's stress response
35
Role of Adrenaline
Adrenaline is a hormone/ neurotransmitter produced by the adrenal gland Adrenaline triggers the body's fight or flight which: - increases HR - increases BP - boosts energy - redirects blood to major muscles
36
Weakness Gender differences in physiological response
- the physiological response is different for males and females - a researcher argued that fight/flight only applies to males as it would've been risky for our female ancestors to run away and leave offspring defenceless, instead they tend and befriend - this suggests the physiological response is biased towards men
37
Weakness The 'freeze' response and role of cognitions
There are more acute responses than just fight or flight - another response is freeze, this has been observed when animals faced with a predator seem paralysed, predators become uninterested in non-responsive prey - this suggests fight/flight is a part of a more complex response to stress
38
Link between stress and physical ill health
- immune system - immunity - suppression - cardiovascular disorders
39
Immune system
the body's defensive barrier
40
Innate immunity
a general immune response to any antigens that is fast acting (you're born with it)
41
Acquired Immunity
Immunity you develop over your lifetime that recognises and destroys specific antigens
42
Suppression of the immune system (immunosuppression)
stress can cause illness by preventing the immune system for working efficiently
43
Direct suppression
cortisol disrupts acquired immunity as it inhibits production of white blood cells/lymphocytes
44
Indirect suppression
stress influences lifestyle behaviours that can affect our immunity - smoking alcohol, sleep
45
Stress and cardiovascular disorders
long term effects: - stress hormones (cortisol + adrenaline) can cause narrowing of the arteries and plaques on artery walls = high bp immediate effects: - cardiac emergency, heart attack
46
Evaluation - strength
Support for stress effects on immune system - studies show stress suppresses the immune system, women who experienced stress were more likely to develop precancerous illness - stress has direct effect and can cause other diseases
47
Evaluation - weakness
Short vs long-term - stress can enhance the immune system - short-term stress stimulates an immune response but long-term stress is damaging - the relationship between stress and ill health is complex and not fully understood

Health Psychology- Unit 3 (9 decks)

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