Chapter 4: Stress, biophysical factors & illness Flashcards
What is a stress modifier?
Factors that can reduce the negative impact of stressful events. Can be social or psychological.
What is social support?
Comfort, caring, esteem or help available to a person from other people or groups.
What are the 2 types of social support?
Perceived social support (one’s sense or perception that comfort and help are available if needed) and Received social support (actions actually performed by others.
What are the different kinds of social support?
Emotional/Esteem support: person is given care, nurturing, positive regard, warmth and encouragement.
Tangible/instrumental support: a person is given direct assistance.
Informational support: person is given information, advice, suggestions.
Companionship support: person offered the physical presence of other to spend time with.
Appraisal support: person is helped realistically
The positive effects of social support
Physiological effects:
–Decrease in heart rate/BP, Increase in Immune function, Increase in neurochemicals but decrease in cortisol
Psychological effects: Decrease in distress, Increase in self esteem
What is the buffering hypothesis?
Social support protects against negative effects of high stress. Social support is only effective when there is a strong stressor. If you perceive something as low stress, social support does not buffer anything.
Why might the buffering hypothesis work?
1) when faced with a strong stressor, someone with social support might not appraise it as intense (maybe they know someone will help them and 2) Social support might modify stress response after appraisal. Maybe someone will help them change their appraisal by calming them down.
What is direct hypothesis?
social support is beneficial for your health when you encounter a stressful event regardless of how stressful the situation is. Effects are similar with high or low stress.
Why might the direct hypothesis work?
1) high social support might help people feel more belonging and self esteem which might benefit health independently from stress 2) High social support might help people feel like they need to be healthy to reciprocate the support
What is the stress prevention model?
Social support protects the person against the negative effects of stress by providing advice or support that helps to avoid or minimize exposure to stressful events.
What is the matching hypothesis
It is unhelpful social support. It is a mismatch between needs and support offered.
Optimism and health
Optimism is the tendency to believe that good things will happen. Optimism=better health habits, better mental and physical health, and faster recovery from illness
Resilience and health
Resilience: a combination of high (1) self esteem 2) personal control and 3) optimism.
Resilient individuals appraise negative events as less stressful and they recover faster from stressful experiences.
What is type A behaviour?
Competitive achievement orientation
Time urgency
Anger/hostility
Vigorous (i.e., loud, rapid, forceful) vocal style
What is type B personality behaviour?
Opposite of type A: Less competitive Less time urgency Less anger/hostility Relaxed vocal style
Type A vs. Type B stress
strong reactivity to stressful social interactions (e.g, competition, debates, arguments)
Type A and health effects
Risk factor for CHD
Anger and hostility is a predictor of coronary heart disease.
High hostile scores predicted both higher rates of CHD and mortality, independent of other risk factors
What is an internal locus of control?
the belief that you have control over your successes and failures. Control for events is within you
What is an external locus of control?
the belief that you have no control over your successes and failures. Control for events comes form things outside of you/ outside of your control
What are attributions?
The cognitive process people use after experiencing uncontrollable negative events
What are the 3 dimensions?
Internal/external
Stable unstable
Global/specific
What is the diathesis-stress model?
View that someone’s vulnerability to a physical or psychological disorder depends on the disorder and the amount of stress they experience Diastheisis=predisposition to a disorder. From genetics or From environment
The common cold:
Common cold exposure vs. none. 47% with high stress got the cold, 27% with low stress got the cold. People under chronic stress more vulnerable. People who have higher positive emotions less vulnerable. People with sleep problems more vulnerable
What is the direct route?
Changes in Physiology cause by stress. Allostatic load: strain involved in reacting repeatedly to intense stressor produces wear and tear on the body systems that accumulate over time to lead to illness
What is the indirect route?
Stress affects the behaviour people engage in which leads to illness.
- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Exercise
- Smoking
- Medical attention
Explain cardiovascular system reactivity (part of the direct route)
Physiological changes that occur in the heart, blood vessels, and blood in response to stressors. High levels of cardiovascular reactivity related to coronary heart disease. Higher cardiovascular reactivity and poor recovery related to greater cardiovascular disease
Endocrine System reactivity (direct route)
Catecholamine’s and corticosteroids released by the endocrine system can cause illness
Higher cortisol reactivity predicts risk of developing hypertension
Intense stress can cause hear to beat erratically and lead to cardiac death
Immune system reactivity (direct route)
Catecholamines and corticosteroids alter the functioning of the immune system. Brief stressor: activate nonspecific immunity and suppress specific immunity
Chronic stressor: suppress both nonspecific and specific immune functions. Increase inflammation. High stress reduces the production of Enzymes that attack mutant cells
What is Psychoneuroimmunology?
Field that focuses on the relationship between psychosocial processes and the activities of the nervous, endocrine, and immune system
The relationship between emotions and immune function
Positive emotions can boost immune function and Negative emotions and pessimism negatively impact immune function. Healthful lifestyles related to stronger immune system functioning
The relationship between psychosocial modifiers and immune function
social support can boost immune function and Disclosure (verbal or written) can boost immune function
What are psychophysiological disorders?
refers to physical symptoms or illnesses that result from interplay of psychosocial and physiological processes
Digestive system diseases
Several psychophysiological disorders can afflict the digestive system. Ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease are two illnesses that involve wounds in the digestive tract and may cause bleeding. Both of these can be caused by stress
Asthma
is a respiratory disorder in which inflammation, spasms and mucous obstruct the bronchial tubes and lead to difficulty in breathing wheezing or coughing. Asthma attacks appear to be a result of three factors: allergies, respiratory infections and biopsychosocial arousal such as from stress or exercise. Stress can contribute to susceptibility and later stress can make the condition worse.
Recurrent headaches
Two types: tension-type and migraines. Headaches are often brought on by hormonal changes, missing a meal, poor sleep, sunlight, consuming certain substances. Stressors, particularly every day hassles, are also common triggers of migraines and tension type headaches.
What are some other disorders?
Rheumatoid arthritis
Hives
Eczema
Psoriasis
What are the two types of personal control?
Behavioral control: take actions to limit the impact of a stressor
Cognitive control: changes ones thinking about a stressor in a way that reduces its impact
What is an attribution?
process of explaining the causes of behavior and events.
What determines one’s sense of personal control?
Past experience, and social learning
What are personality traits?
characteristic patterns of thoughts feelings, and behaviors.
How does a high sense of personal control affect health?
Maintain health and prevent illness and Cope with with illness and active in rehabilitation
