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Health Psychology- Unit 3 > B1- Stress > Flashcards

B1- Stress Flashcards

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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
Q

Physiological responses to stress

A
  • the body’s response
24
Q

The role of SAM and the HPA system in chronic and acute stress

A
  • The general adaptation syndrome = GAS
  • Sympathomedullary system = SAM
  • Hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal system = HPA
24
Q

General Adaptation Syndrome
GAS

A
  • a reaction to all stressors
  • helps the body cope with a stressor
  • includes a group of symptoms/ responses
25
Q

3 Stages of GAS

A

The body responds in the same way to any stressor:
- Stage 1 = Alarm reaction
- Stage 2 = Resistance
- Stage 3 = Exhaustion

26
Q

Stage 1
Alarm Reaction

A

when the threat is recognised, the hypothalamus triggers production of adrenaline ready for fight or flight

27
Q

Stage 2
Resistance

A
  • 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
Q

Stage 3
Exhaustion

A
  • 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
Q

Acute stress

A

from a short-term threat requiring immediate response

30
Q

Chronic stress

A

from a threat that continues over weeks/months

31
Q

Sympathomedullary System
SAM

A

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
Q

Medullary

A

middle of our 2 adrenal glands

33
Q

Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal System
HPA

A

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
Q

Cortisol

A

regulates the body’s stress response

35
Q

Role of Adrenaline

A

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
Q

Weakness
Gender differences in physiological response

A
  • 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
Q

Weakness
The ‘freeze’ response and role of cognitions

A

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
Q

Link between stress and physical ill health

A
  • immune system
  • immunity
  • suppression
  • cardiovascular disorders
39
Q

Immune system

A

the body’s defensive barrier

40
Q

Innate immunity

A

a general immune response to any antigens that is fast acting
(you’re born with it)

41
Q

Acquired Immunity

A

Immunity you develop over your lifetime that recognises and destroys specific antigens

42
Q

Suppression of the immune system
(immunosuppression)

A

stress can cause illness by preventing the immune system for working efficiently

43
Q

Direct suppression

A

cortisol disrupts acquired immunity as it inhibits production of white blood cells/lymphocytes

44
Q

Indirect suppression

A

stress influences lifestyle behaviours that can affect our immunity
- smoking alcohol, sleep

45
Q

Stress and cardiovascular disorders

A

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
Q

Evaluation
- strength

A

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
Q

Evaluation
- weakness

A

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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