Lecture 8- Stress, Coping, and Health

Question 1

What are the perspectives of stress?

Answer 1

1) Stimulus-based
2) Response-based
3) Interactional

Question 2

What is stimulus-based stress?

Answer 2

focus on work place environmental stressors.

Question 3

What is the contamination hypothesis of stress?

Answer 3

Some life events may be stress-related outcomes e.g. changes in sleeping habits

Question 4

Define a Hassle and an Uplift (Kanner et al,1981)

Answer 4

1) Hassles- irritating, frustrating, distressing demands
2) Uplifts positive experiences

They better predict psychological symptoms than life event scores

Question 5

Describe hassles

Answer 5

may mediate the association between life events and health outcomes
life events may also disrupt coping processes

Question 6

Describe Uplifts

Answer 6

1) positive emotional experiences can buffer against stress disorders (Lazarus)

Question 7

What is the response-based perspective of stress?

Answer 7

focus on the physiological responses to stress

Question 8

What is the General adaptation Syndrome? (Hans Selye)

Answer 8

1) Alarm reaction- body’s defence mobilized
2) Resistance stage- the body adapts to the stressor
3) Exhaustion stage- body’s capacity resistance is depleted

Question 9

What happens when an individual is in the resistance stage for a long period of time?

Answer 9

develop disease adaptations

Question 10

What are the psychosomatic medicines? (Franz Alexandra)

Answer 10

1) Flight of fight (temporary & biologically adaptive behaviours)
2) Chronic stress

Question 11

What is chronic stress?

Answer 11

over activation of sympathetic branch of the automatic nervous system

Question 12

How does chronic stress cause type 2 diabetes?

Answer 12

1) hyper-activation of the sympathetic branch
2) cause HPA axis activation- hypercortisolism
3) greater intra-abdominal fat, larger waist circumference

Question 13

What is the interactional perspective of stress?

Answer 13

focus on coping and resources

Question 14

Name the interactional models (Lazarus & Folkman)

Answer 14

1) Primary appraisals- evaluation of stressor
2) Secondary appraisals- identify coping options and resources

Question 15

List the 4 coping strategies

Answer 15

Active coping
Planning
Positive reframing
Humour

Question 16

Describe the conservation of resources theory

Answer 16

1) values resources (objects, personal characteristics, energies)
2) this allows you to have resource stability which contributes to the level of stress

Question 17

What is PTSD?

Answer 17

• a specific stress response when a person is exposed to extreme stressors
• distress, insomnia, flashbacks

Question 18

Name some of the predictors inn developing PTSD?

Answer 18

1) perceived life threat
2) peritraumatic emotions
3) prior trauma
4) Psychological difficulties
5) Family history

Question 19

What is post-traumatic growth (PTG)?

Answer 19

1) Experience a positive change as a result of the struggle with a highly challenging life crisis
2) high appreciation of life, more meaningful relationships and strong personal strength

Question 19

What is the Growth phase of PTG?

Answer 19

cognitive rebuild after trauma

Question 20

What are the detriments of PTG?

Answer 20

1) personality characteristics (extraverted)
2) managing distressing emotions (constructive cog processing schema change)
3) Support and disclosure (others offer perspective

Question 21

Can stress cause physical illness?

Answer 21

stress may cause individual to smoke and drink which may cause illness