Lec 15. Stress 2 Flashcards
What is the updated perspective of the Diathesis-Stress model?
It is more optimistic and high risk means high plasticity/adaptation
Higher risk means more amenable to benefits from intervention
What are the limiting factors in stress research?
- Risk does not equal definite outcome
- We can counteract risk
- Rarity
- Correlational observational studies
- Confounding variables
What are some life experience correlates with depression?
Social rejection and loss
What are some life experience correlates with anxiety?
Loss and danger
What are some life experience correlates with broader mental health issues?
Childhood stress/trauma
What are some correlated adverse effects with long-term stress?
- Acute illness (cold/flu)
- Latent virus (recurring emergence)
- Cardiovascular health
- Autoimmune disorders
What is the pattern observed in HIV patients and stress?
Higher stress patients transition to AIDS faster, and have a faster decline
What is the pattern observed in stressed patients and cancer?
There is mixed literature, but some studies argue that high stress may help cancer growth by suppressing natural defenses.
What are the patterns affecting stress and heart disease?
Long term stress affects heart inflammation
Some personality types are predictive of heart attacks
What are the general gender differences in stress reports?
Women are more likely to report stress than men and respond by seeking social supports
Men are more likely to deal with stress by social withdrawal and substance abuse or aggression
What is a proposed consequence of long term stress on cell structures?
Telomeres get shorter
What are the health consequences of pessimism vs optimism?
Pessimists have a higher chance of developing heart disease
What are the 5 textbook ways to handle stress?
- Exercise
- Sleep
- Diet
- Social Supports
- Active relaxation
What are the two ways of coping?
Problem focused and emotion focused coping.
What is problem focused coping?
An attempt to alleviate stress by changing the stressor/interaction with stressor
What is emotion focused coping?
It is used when stressors cannot change, and trying to decrease negative emotional responses associated with stress
What provokes the strongest stress response?
Loss of control in life
What are the two types of personal control loci, and which one is positively correlated with health?
There is the internal and external loci of control, and having an internal LoC is correlated with positives
