Physical health Flashcards
What are sources of social stress?
Important sources of social stress are conflict, loss, break-ups, loss of social support, exclusion, rejection, loss of status and (perceived) social isolation.
What are the theories of social stress?
The theories of social stress are the need to belong, Maslow’s hierarchical needs, and attachment theory.
What are the evolutionary benefits of the threat-defence response?
The evolutionary benefits of the threat-defence response are food provision, reproduction, defence and raising of offspring.
Explain the functions of social pain.
The functions of social pain are aversion of pain and activation of the threat response systems.
What are physiological responses to stress?
The physiological responses to stress are HPA-axis activation and sympathetic nervous system activation.
Explain the molecular response to social stress.
Social stress can trigger inflammatory responses. This is called the conversed transcriptional response to adversity.
These responses can also be triggered in absence of physical injury.
What are the pro-inflammatory responses in the brain to social stress?
Pro-inflammation responses lead to brain activity in the amygdala, dACC and the anterior insula.
How does social stress influence health?
- According to the main effect hypothesis supportive relationships provide better health outcomes.
- According to the stress-buffering hypothesis supportive relationships provide better health outcomes, but only in the presence of a stressor.
How does stress-buffering work?
Stress-buffering promotes adaptive behaviour: distraction or refocusing attention on positive stimuli. Social support also affects physiological response.
Explain the conceptual model linking social ties to health behaviours.
A number of factors are involved in the relationship between social ties and health behaviours. These factors are social control, strength of social ties, physiological response, mental health, meaning/norms, and personal control.
