Environmental topic 1 - stressors in the environment Flashcards
Background: How does Oliver (2012) define stress?
‘the response we get when the demand of our environment are greater than the capacity we have to deal with them’
Background: biological - fight or flight response
- experience the stressor
- activates the sympathetic nervous system
- releases adrenaline, increases blood pressure and heart rate, digestive system slows down
- once the stressor has passed the body returns to regular homeostasis
Background - biological - role of cortisol in long term stress
- during exposure to stress the body will release stress from the adrenal gland - affects glucose, metabolism
- prolonged exposure increases cortisol and suppresses the immune system and individuals more susceptible to illnesses
Background - psychological response to stress
- when forced with a stressor, the person evaluated potential threats (primary appraisal)
- The person assesses their coping resources and options - control ability (secondary appraisal)
- use of available coping strategies
Background - biological - GAS
- Alarm - stressor prepares the body for fight or flight
- resistance - if the situation continues body tries to adapt or cope with long-term demands
- exhaustion - the body’s resources will become depleted, where damage to the body starts to occur - causing hypertension (from high blood pressure)
Background - Johansson - aim, sample, method
aim: psychological and physiological stress response in two categories of employees
- quasi, experimental group were (high risk) 14 ‘finishers at a Swedish sawmill
- control - 10 workers who were cleaner or maintenance
Background - Johansson - procedure and results
Procedure:
- each participant given daily urine sample when arrived at work and home - so levels of adrenaline could be measured
- completed self-reports on mood using rating scales with words such as sleepiness, caffeine and nicotine consumption was noted
- baseline measurements were taken at same time of day, to compare between groups
Results:
- first urine, had adrenaline twice as high as baseline - high risk increased during the day and for controls they decreased
- high risk group felt more rushed and irritated than the control group
Key research - Black and Black - aim and sample
aim: to investigate whether aircraft noise has an impact on people living near Sydney airport, interested in two questions:
1. is health-related quality of life worse in a community that is chronically exposed to aircraft noise than community not exposed?
2. is long term exposure linked to high blood pressure?
sample:
1500 were sent questionnaires only 704 returned - aged 15 - 87
Key research - Black and Black - procedure
- initially pilot study with 100 people to check the reliability of the noise stress scale
- The main study conducted around Sydney airport exposed to 50 or more occurrences of noise exceeding 70db
- control area was South Penrith with low aircraft noise and matched in socio-economic status
Questionnaires: told looking at effect environmental noise with 7 major elements:
1. Health related quality of life
2. Hypertension
3. noise stress
4. noise sensitivity
5. noise annoyance
6. demographic characteristics
7. confounding factors - smoking, drinking
Key research - B&B - demographic and socioeconomic status results
- those with noise exposure had better education and employment status
- both had similar household incomes
- alcohol and salty food consumption had no significant difference
- Participants in noise exposure group were more likely to be smokers
- control did less exercise, so higher levels of obesity
- around 37% of the exposure group had insulated their homes compared to 3% in the control
Key research - B&B - health related measures results and conclusions
Mean mental health score - noise - 68/100
control - 74/100
mean noise stress - noise - 6.44/10
control - 4.25
mean aircraft noise annoyance - noise - 6.27/10
control - 1.03/10
- long term exposure can be associated with chronic noise stress and linked to hypertension
conclusions:
- long term exposure is likely to have higher status, using a confounding factor to cope
- less environmental stressors, not much change to lifestyle necessary such as adding insulation
Key research - B&B - evaluation
Strengths:
- high ecological validity - quasi, high generalisability, quantitative data
- Useful - comparing the amount of noise exposure and causing replicability
Weaknesses:
- Ethnocentrism - only westernised sample
- issue of self - report - extraneous variables may be present
- low validity - demand characteristics from sample
- socially sensitive - socioeconomic values and making a judgement on where they live
Debates:
- interaction of the situational and individual
Application - physical strategies
- airlines extend curfew - reduce hypertension as less noise exposure, however less flying negative economic effects and overcrowding on flights
- insulation scheme - reduce sound exposure, however - airlines may not cooperate financially
- closing down airports or relocating - chronic stress completely eradicated, however would be costly, tourism impact and passes problem to others
Application - Gans
- used mindfulness with tinnitus patients and found experienced a change in perception - tolerating symptoms and accepting condition
- that people living in noise environments should use mindfulness to manage how they react and negative effect on wellbeing
Application - Meichenbaum and Cameron
Stress inoculation therapy (SIT) - cognitive, to reduce stress, three phases
1. conceptualisation
2. skills acquisition and rehearsal
3. real life application and follow - through
