L6 - Stress Flashcards
Define the human experience of stress
“the response of the mind and body, following the appraisal of real or perceived, threats or demands of a situation, or features of the environment”
What is a stressor?
refers to a stimulus or situational interaction that may evoke a potential stress response.
What is the fight/flight/freeze explanation for what stress is?
stress is a threat to homeostasis (the system default)
Stress is a survival mechanism (adaptive in short-term)
body attempts to preserve stasis of bodies internal environment in response to challenges or changes in external conditions
What is the sympathetic and parasympathetics role in stress
Sympathetic nervous system: gets nervous system fired up to deal with stressor
Parasympathetic nervous system: calms the body down afterwards
Explain Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model for stress
Three stages - alarm reaction, resistance, exhaustion
Fight-flight response maps on first stage (alarm reaction)
Second and most active stage of GAS model is ‘resistance’
Third stage may either be exhaustion or recovery depending on how effectively the stressor was handled in resistance stage
According to the GAS model, how does one go into exhaustion or recovery in the final phase?
When arousal soars to account for the stressor there is a secretion of hormones (cortisol) that intensifies the systematic response.
Body can’t keep this up forever and if you are in the stage for too long you become exhausted
If you manage the stressor well and cortisol levels drop early you enter recovery
What is good stress and bad stress called in the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model?
Good stress: Eustress
Bad stress: Distress
When can stress be good (“eustress”
It can be a great stimulus for achievement
What is meant by an optimal level of stress?
Not enough stress - no drive and understimulated
Too much stress - poor performance and become overwhelmed/exhausted
Balance is right in the middle
What is acute stress?
Stress over a short period of time
- e.g. being chased by an animal, giving a presentation*
- Can be understood well with the GAS model*
What is chronic stress?
Ongoing stress
e.g. caring for a family member with a chronic illness
Which concept is best for explaining chronic stress?
“Allostasis” / ‘allostatic load’ concept
its more abstract so hard to explain with fight/flight model
Is acute or chronic stress worse for health?
Chronic
What does allostatic load refer to?
The ‘wear and tear’ caused to the body from repeated activation of compensatory physiological mechanisms in response to chronic stress
What is too much allostatic load associated with?
Decreased longevity,
decreased health
accelerated ageing
Ego-threatening stress is related to….
Can it be acute and/or chronic
How does it influence food intake?
Stress related to fear of failure and/or negative evaluation (e.g., sitting an exam).
May be acute or chronic.
Increases food intake
Interpersonal stress is related to….
Can it be acute and/or chronic
How does it influence food intake?
Stress related to relationships or communication between people, especially with a sense of social hostility (e.g., argument with a partner).
May be acute or chronic
Increase food eating
Physically threatening stress is related to….
Can it be acute and/or chronic
How does it influence food intake?
Stress related to the threat of facing physical harm (e.g., being chased by a wild animal or threat of electric shock).
Typically acute.
Decrease food intake
Work related stress is related to….
Can it be acute and/or chronic
How does it influence food intake?
Stress originating from interaction with the work environment and/or work-related tasks (e.g., meeting a deadline).
Typically cumulative or chronic.
Increase food intake
Caregiving stress is related to….
Can it be acute and/or chronic
How does it influence food intake?
Stress associated with ongoing caregiving role (e.g., caring for a child with chronic illness, parent/spouse with dementia).
Typically chronic.
Increase food intake
What physiological approaches can we use to measure stress? (3 things)
Perspiration, heart rate, blood pressure.
Hormones (e.g., cortisol) from blood draws or saliva samples.
Telomere length
What are the self-report approaches to measuring stress? (5 things
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).
Stressful Life Events/Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) (Holmes & Rahe, 1967).
Job Content Questionnaire (for Job Demand-Control-Support/job strain measurement).
Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) – e.g., mark current stress level on a line from 0 to 100.
Diaries (pen and paper, smartphone apps).
What might go wrong with using a diary for self-report?
You might forget what made you stressed throughout the day
using a smartphopne can make it easier to report after stressful events
What did Blackburn and Epel find in regards to telomeres?
Exposure to stress increases the rate of cell division and each time a cell divides, the length of its telomeres is shortened.
What are telomeres
Telomeres form the protective casing or ‘caps’ found at the ends of chromosomes.
Like the plastic tips on shoelaces, they work in a similar way to prevent the ends from ‘fraying’.
What is a telomerase
An enzyme that can replenish the telomere ‘caps
How are telomerase reserves depleted?
through repeated sexposure to chronic stress and cortisol
What happens when telomeres become too short?
They can no longer provide protection to the cell
This causes the cell to die or become pro-inflammatroy - this evokes the ageing process and associated health risks
Are we more stressed now than in the past?
What could be causing this stress?
Maybe, technology and culture may make us think we are more stressed now
technology connects us constantly to work, we are always on call and can’t have our down time
Which generation feels the most stress?
Sandwich generation
Midlife - between young and old - have to care for both sides
What is the risk of simply “adding telomerase” through supplements? Why cant we do it?
Increaed telomerase activity is part of how cancer works
the cells live forever and this causes cancer
What can we do in our lives to extend our telomere length?
Healthy lifestyle
Moderate aerobic exercise
Manage stress better
Social support
How are telomeres related to chronic stress?
Chronic stress reduces telomere length
Fastens ageing and reduces your lifespan
What are the two types of coping responses we use to deal with stress?
Emotion-focused coping
Problem-focused coping
What is emotion-focused coping?
When is it effecting?
Attempts to relieve or regulate the emotional response
(e.g., stress-eating, blowing off steam, talking things over with friends).
Can be effective when we cannot change the stressor (e.g., terminal illness).
What is problem-focused coping?
When is it effective?
Attempts to directly manage the threat or stressor
- (e.g., getting an extension if you’ve been unwell, planning ahead of time to deal with periods of intense workload).*
- Addressing the problem head-on.*
Can be effective when you have the ability to change the stressor.
Why might reframing be a good way of managing stress?
Stress is an interaction (transaction) between a situation (stressor) and a person
When faced with a stressor, we make an apprisal - is this a threat (bad) or a challenge (opportunity)
Seeing a situation as a challenge is generally more beneficial and can reduce stress
In the appraisal and reframing model, what happens after we make a primary appraisal that a situation is a threat?
We make a secondary appraisal - assess our potential options and how effective they would be
If we have effective options - low threat
If we don’t - high treat
Which theories of stress are best suited for acute stress
Classic theories like fight/flight/freeze and General Adaptation Syndrom (GAS)
Contemporary approaches are best suited for understanding the effects of which type of stress?
Chronic stress
