Chapter 15: Stress, Coping and Health - 17 marks Flashcards by Unknown Unknown

Psychologists have viewed stress in three different ways:
As a stimulus, a response, and an organism-environment interaction.

The Nature Of Stress

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Eliciting stimuli, or events that place strong demands on us
These situations are termed stressors
Stress in this “stimulus” fashion when we make statements such as

The Nature Of Stress-Stress

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Daily hassles

The Nature Of Stress-Microstressors

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Transaction between organism & environment
Health indicators

The Nature Of Stress-Person-situation Interaction

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Occur unexpectedly
Affect large #’s of people

Stressors-Catastrophic events

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Stressful life events

Stressors-Major Negative Events

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Life event scales have been widely used in life stress research

Measuring Stressful Life Events

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Quantify stress over a given period of time
Indicate whether a particular event occurred
Appraisal of being positive or negative
Indicate amount of control, predictability

Measuring Stressful Life Events-Life Events Scale

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

demands of situation
What do I have to do?

Stress Response-Primary appraisal

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

resources available to cope
How can I cope?

Stress Response-Secondary appraisal

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the ‘costs’ to me?

Stress Response-Judgments of consequences of situation

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

what does the outcome imply
What does this say about my beliefs in myself? World?

Stress Response-Personal meaning

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Physiological reaction to prolonged stress

Chronic Stress and the GAS-General Adaptation Syndrome = GAS

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion

Chronic Stress and the GAS-Three Phases

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

similar to ‘fight or flight’
Activation of sympathetic nervous system
Release of stress hormones - important = Cortisol
Triggers increase in blood sugars
Suppresses immune system

Cannot last indefinitely
Parasympathetic system tries to restore homeostasis
If stressor persists - so does response!

Chronic Stress and the GAS-Alarm - 1st phase

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Continued recruitment of resources
Can last long time, but resources being depleted
Eventually are no longer sufficient

Chronic Stress and the GAS-Resistance – 2nd phase

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Resources dangerously depleted
Increased vulnerability to disease
Can manifest itself with cardiovascular problems; immune system difficulties

Chronic Stress and the GAS-Exhaustion – 3rd phase

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Work inspired medical and psychological researchers
To explore the effects of stress on
Physical and Psychological well-being

Stress and Health-Selye

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Some stressors are so traumatic that they can have a strong and long-lasting psychological impact

Stress and Health-Stress and Psychological Well-Being

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

More negative life events = more psychological distress
But, Correlational so cannot determine causality

Stress and Health

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

A personality trait
People who are high in neuroticism have a heightened tendency to
Experience negative emotions and get themselves into stressful situations through their maladaptive behaviours
Some stressors have long lasting psychological impact
More negative life events - more likely to report psychological distress

Stress and Psychological Well-Being-Neuroticism

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Severe anxiety, physiological arousal (the stress response), and distress
Painful, uncontrollable reliving of the event(s) in flashbacks, dreams, and fantasies
Emotional numbing and avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma
intense “survivor guilt” in instances where others were killed but the individual survived

Stress and Psychological Well-Being-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD Symptoms

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Result of the residential school experience
Individuals symptoms include recurrent intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks
Increased risk of alcohol and drug abuse starting at a very young age
Emotional detachment, relationship difficulties
Loss of and avoidance of cultural knowledge, and anger management problems

Stress and Psychological Well-Being-The Residential School Syndrome

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Stress = Increase in chronic conditions
Arthritis, bronchitis, emphysema
Stress can be precursor to health problems
Stress = increased chance of health problems
Increases with # of stressors

Stress and Illness

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Research has shown that the stress produced by marital conflict can produce a decrease in immune function

Stress and Illness

Decrease immune function Demonstrated to occur within 24 hours Worsen pre-existing conditions Stress hormones contribute to blocked arteries Deterioration of hippocampus and memory impairment

Stress and Illness-Other Consequences

Increase susceptibility to stress

Vulnerability and Protective Factors-Vulnerability Factors

Lack of support network Poor coping skills Pessimism

Vulnerability and Protective Factors-What Reduces Resistance?

Social support, coping skills, optimism

Vulnerability and Protective Factors-Protective Factors

Blunts impact of stress Sense of identity, meaning May prevent maladaptive ways of coping

Vulnerability and Protective Factors-Social Support

Shown among cancer patients - people who talk about negative life events

Vulnerability and Protective Factors-Enhances immune system

Hardiness Commitment - What they do is important Control - Control (perceived) over situation Challenge - Situation is a challenge not a threat Which is the strongest component? - Control!

Vulnerability and Protective Factors-Why do some people suffer psychological and/or physiological distress and others do not?

Specific to situation - these demands!

Coping Self-Efficacy-Belief we can successfully cope

Previous successes Observing others Social persuasion / encouragement Low levels of arousal Shown to increase immune system functioning

Coping Self-Efficacy-Increased efficacy from:

Things will work out Realistic thinking or delusion?

Optimism-View/belief in the outcome

Appraisal of being less helpless Better adjustment to negative life events Sense of less helplessness Better health

Optimism-Optimists have

High levels of competitiveness and ambition Can be aggressive and hostile

Personality Factors-Type A

More relaxed, agreeable

Personality Factors-Type B

Experience a constant sense of time urgency Irritable, impatience and hostility The owner of this appointment book died of a heart attack shortly after the date on this schedule

Type A Personality

Can help with effective coping Certain religious beliefs can have negative effect on adjustment E.g., Being punished; Guilt

Finding Meaning in Stressful Life Events-Finding meaning Spiritual beliefs

Coping With Stress-Which strategy is best?

Problem focused & Seeking social support

Negative outcomes with Avoidance, denial, wishful thinking Positive outcomes with Identifying & changing irrational thought patterns; relaxation techniques

Coping With Stress-What about emotion focused?

Cannot always change situation! With little control over the situation which is best? Fewer maladaptive behaviours with emotion-focused No strategy works for all situations!

Effectiveness of Coping Strategies

Venting negative feelings may not be good for friendships but… Inability to express negative feelings has costs Higher likelihood of cancer Expressing emotions in an adaptive manner Long-term positive consequences on health

Bottling Up Feelings: The Costs of Constraint

Research suggests that the impact of disclosure lessens over time

Bottling Up Feelings: The Costs of Constraint

Favour problem-focused approach

Gender, Culture, and Coping-Gender Differences-Males

Favour emotion-focused approach Result of socialization?

Gender, Culture, and Coping-Gender Differences-Females

Problem focused = North Americans & Europeans Emotion-focused = Asians & Hispanics

Gender, Culture, and Coping-Cultural differences

Recognizes the role that behaviour plays in health maintenance Studies psychological and behavioural factors in the prevention and treatment of illness and in the maintenance of health

Health Promotion and Illness Prevention-Health Psychology

Compared to the 1900, today’s killers are strongly influenced by behavioural factors

Health Promotion and Illness Prevention

Serve to maintain or increase health Exercise, healthy diets, safe sexual practices, regular medical checkups, and breast and testicular self-examination

Health Promotion and Illness Prevention-Health-enhancing behaviours

Promote the development of illness Smoking, fatty diets, a sedentary lifestyle, and unprotected sexual activity

Health Promotion and Illness Prevention-Health-compromising behaviours

Recognizes the role that behaviour plays in health maintenance Studies psychological and behavioural factors in the prevention and treatment of illness and in the maintenance of health

Health Promotion and Illness Prevention-Health Psychology

Health practices are associated with longevity Pattern of earlier mortality at younger age for males

Increasing Behaviours That Enhance Health

Sedentary lifestyle & health problems E.g., Heart disease, obesity

Increasing Behaviours That Enhance Health-Exercise

Aerobic exercise Oxygen better utilized; lower cholesterol levels Moderate levels of exercise produce best results Physical health Longevity

Increasing Behaviours That Enhance Health-Benefits of exercise

Is sustained activity Such as jogging, swimming, and bicycling, That elevates the heart rate and increases the body’s need for oxygen

Increasing Behaviours That Enhance Health-Aerobic exercise

Self-monitoring & self-regulation Behavioural self-regulation

Reducing Behaviours That Impair Health-Behavioural interventions

Identify antecedents of behaviour

Reducing Behaviours That Impair Health-Self-monitoring

Increases positive effects

Reducing Behaviours That Impair Health-Exercise

Education Motivation Specific guidelines Support Challenge Irrational sense of invulnerability among adolescents & young adults

Prevention Programs-Prevention Programs: AIDS 4 Basic features

Substance abuse exacts an enormous toll on society According to the World Health Organization 3 million deaths every year are the result of the misuse of alcohol

Combatting Substance Abuse

The total cost of substance use in Canada is estimated to be $38.4 billion Alcohol - $14.6 billion Tobacco - $12 billion Opioids - $3.5 billion Cannabis - $2.8 billion

Combatting Substance Abuse

Goal: Lead person to their own conclusion Process: Question discrepancies between current state & self-image, behaviours Counsellor: Provides guidelines, feedback

Psychological Approaches toTreatment and Prevention-Motivational Interviewing

Combination of techniques Can include Biological measures Learning techniques Stress management Coping skills Counselling

Psychological Approaches to Treatment and Prevention-Multimodal Treatment Approaches

Effectiveness of treatments show varying results 65% for alcohol abuse up to 1 year later Long-term outcomes 30% for alcohol, smoking, other substances Relapse Prevention Relapse = return to undesirable behaviour Lapse = ‘one-time’ slip

Psychological Approaches toTreatment and Prevention

Insufficient coping skills Lack of self-efficacy Expected positive benefits from substance

Psychological Approaches toTreatment and Prevention-What causes relapse?

Self-blame & guilt reinforce sense of helplessness

Psychological Approaches toTreatment and Prevention-Abstinence violation effect

Significant positive effects Seen with brief interventions on binge drinking

Psychological Approaches to Treatment and Prevention-Harm Reduction Approaches to Prevention

Goal is not to eliminate behaviour but to reduce harmful effects Methadone, reduction of binge drinking, needle exchange programs

Psychological Approaches to Treatment and Prevention-Harm Reduction

Was first used by the humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow (1954) Current usage and meaning is based on Martin Seligman’s Since the 1950s psychology has focused too strongly on pathology—on treating illness

Positive Psychology

Uses the scientific method and the research tools that psychologists have developed to study human behaviour Focus on positive experience and well-being Does not mean that psychology should ignore negative experience and illness Psychological research-derived suggestions that may help you maintain and enhance personal happiness: Spend time with others, and work to develop close relationships Look for ways to be helpful to others, and reach out to the less fortunate Set meaningful personal goals, and make progress toward them Make time for enjoyable activities Nurture physical well-being Be open to new experiences Cultivate optimism, and count your blessings

Positive Psychology