Chp 12 - Stress and Health Flashcards
Stressor
anything that places excessive demands on the individual
The Stress Response (1+6+1)
Sympathetic nervous system
Endocrine system (cortisol)
Changes in
- glucose (higher)
- respiration (faster)
- heart rate (faster)
- digestion (shut down, to move faster)
- brain function (hippocampus)
- immune function (suppressed)
Stress can be good
- Allows you to meet demands
but chronic stress causes health problem
Cortisol is a ______ _____
Steroid hormone: can enter every cell type in the body
What was the best predictor for developing a cold?
Best predictor of developing a cold was stress
- Stress suppresses the immune system
Access whether or not had a cold
Measures of lifestyle, personality
Control group:
- Saline water up nose
Test:
- Cold virus up nose
Acute stress and immunity
- mild stress enhances immune function
- moderate to severe stress suppresses immune function
Chronic Stress effect on body
- powerfully suppress immune function
Sleep problems and stress (4)
- Spontaneous waking
- Not getting enough sleep is a stressor
- Stressed about not getting sleep
- Reinforce being stress
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale
Judge whether they were sleep deprived or not
Top stressors (4)
Homework/School
Parents/Family
Time
Social Life/Personal
The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) (4)
Anything that causes us to change the way we live is stressful
- higher point= greater stress
- Newer scales only measures emotionally negative
- Emotionally positive events can protect against illness
- student stress scale
SRRS Scores and Illness
The more negative life changes, more likely to experience serious illness:
300 points or more, seen by medical professional due to illness
Stress Continuum
Minor Stressor (microstressors)
Cataclysmic Phenomena (hurricanes, wars..)
The chronic daily hassles
- Elicit stress respones
- Major stressors make us more sensitive to chronic daily hassles (if already highly stressed)
got lots of microstressors happening
Stress and Psychological Health (6) is a risk factor for:
Stress is a risk factor for
- mood disorder
- anxiety disorder
- substance abuse
- dissociative disorder
- psychoses
- somatoform disorder
Diathesis-Stress Model (4)
For all disorders, there are prior predispositions (e.g. genes/ experience)
- Has high predisposition, only need low level of stress to manifest disorders
- stress doesn’t cause disorder, but amplifies risk factors
Model also fit physical disorders
Personality Characteristics and Unhealthy Behaviour (4)
- Unhealthy Behaviours
- Sick Role
- Disease
- Stress
Personality Characteristics and Unhealthy Behaviour: 1. Unhealthy Behaviours (6)
- If depressed, impulsive, isolated, angry -> more likely to put self at risk
- Problems with emotional regulation, higher risk of self-medication (High impulsivity, low ego-control)
- Low self-esteem -> poor self care
- Social factors (e.g. peer pressure; resistance cultures (reject norms of societal expectations)
- Poor stress coping skills
- Thrill seeking: need for stimulation, arousability, risk taking
Personality Characteristics and Unhealthy Behaviour: 2. Sick Role
Expectations about how a sick person behaves, and how others behave towards a sick person
May adopt sick role, as a response to stress, reinforced by sympathy, care, avoidance
Personality Characteristics and Unhealthy Behaviour: 3. Disease
Some diseases linked to personality changes e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, Hypothyroidism
Personality Characteristics and Unhealthy Behaviour: 4. Stress (2)
- Profound impact on psychological and physical health
- Individual difference in vulnerability
Lewis Terman and Longevity Project, 1932 (5)
1258 gifted children
80 years
What were the most important factor for living healthy and happy?
Conscientiousness
Sociability
Cheerfulness
Stress
Mental Health
Type A Personality (3)
- Tense, impatient, competitive, impulsive, aggression, vigilant, need for control
- Higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), Esp for males
- “Workaholics” or aggression?
health risks more due to aggression
Type B Personality
- Easy-going, non-competitive
- not concerned about organisational skills
- Tend to be sensitive to others’ feelings (outward facing)
Type C Personality
- Outwardly calm, unexpressive
- overly calm, repressed
- higher risk of cancer
Hardiness
Not very impacted by stress
Recovers from stress easier
Hardiness, Resilience, and the 3C’s (3)
Control:
- internal locus of control; perception of control
Commitment:
- involved in daily life, committed to work, family, etc
Challenge:
- challenges or opportunities, not threats
How we deal with stress is the reason why some strive in stress and some don’t
how we cope with stress
- vulnerability/predispositions
If we cannot address the source of the stress, change your emotional reaction
Change your emotional reaction (3)
1) Focus on the positive
- Think of the good things about
you, your life, the situation
2) Tension Reduction
3) Disclosure
Focus on the positive: gratitude journal
Gratitude: significant elevation in mood
If reflect in everyday, we always think of what went wrong, natural inclination/negativity bias
Train themselves in having a positivity reflection, rather a default
4 ways to regulate stress and emotions
- Tension Reduction
- Exercise
- Disclosure
- Social Support
Tension Reduction
Relaxation techniques
- Meditations
- Exercise
- Relaxation
- Breathing focused
When busy, people drop these activities out of their schedule
“I shouldn’t spend time in the gym”
But when busy, tension reduction is the most important in maintaining health
Exercise on mood
Improves and helps regulate mood
Enhances immune function
Outdoors- additional benefit from sunlight
Even moderate exercise:
*Aerobic
*Mood
*Immune function
*Outdoors
*Sleep
Pets: Lower stress (4)
- Lowers cortisol (stress hormone)
- Lowers blood pressure
- Increases mood
- Increases self-esteem
Disclosure (3) and the experiment
Talk about it, write about it
University students affected by a major trauma
Disclosure: Write about the distressing experience
- Specifically their emotions during and after the event
Control: Write about what you did today
- Write about it several times a week
One-month follow up:
- Control: no change in stress levels
- Disclosure: lower stress
Journal/ diary helpful in dealing with stress
Taking a break on stress
Positive emotion
- When you take a break
- Engage in a break
Distracting but emotionally neutral vs emotionally engaging (fun)
Emotionally engaging break:
- Relief and protective
- Protecting us from negative impact of stress
Social Support (3+2)
Assistance offered by others
* Tangible assistance
* Advice, information
* Emotional support
Timely, appropriate
- A good time: eg. Wanna vent, needs to be now
- Appropriate: maybe you only want to vent
At least one
Conscientiousness (longevity project)
- Predicts longevity, esp in males
- Protective from all causes of death: accident, CHD, cancer
- Significant even when control for lifestyle variables
- Widely supported
Sociability (Longevity Project)
- no clear link to longevity
- social support is linked to better health
Cheerfulness (Longevity Project)
- died younger
- As adults more out-going, more likely to smoke, drink, take risks
Cheerfulness -> carefree, careless, higher risks
Optimism -> positive evaluation of present and future; work toward future; healthier; trust
Stress (Longevity Project) (3)
- childhood stress - shorter lifespan
- Parental divorce, significant risk factor
- But parental divorce lower risk than openly hostile famility environment
Mental Health (Longevity Project)
- Mental stability (“ego strength”): dependability, trust, stability, self-control linked to better health, longer life
