Role Of Stress In Illness

Question 1

What are direct effects on stress

Answer 1

• biological effects such a adrenaline and cortisol

Question 2

Indirect affects on stress

Answer 2

Copying strategies such as smoking, poor diet

Question 3

Adrenalines affect on cardiovascular disorders

Answer 3

Caused increase hart rate and increased blood pressure brought constriction of the blood vessels

Question 4

Cortisols effect on cardiovascular disorders

Answer 4

Cortisols causes an increase in blood glucose levels which is know t increase blood pressure

Question 5

Cortisol an adrenaline effect or cholesterol

Answer 5

Increase the levels of bad cholesterol

Question 6

Chronic stress affect on the heart

Answer 6

• heart has to work harder for prolonged period of time
• blood vessels can get worn away due to greater pressure on them
• blood vessels more likely to get narrowed and blocked due to chloestral deposits (plaque)
• increased blood pressure can also dislodge plaque on the walls on the blood vessels leads to blockages could abuse a heart attack or stress

Question 7

Role of cortisol on immunosuppression

Answer 7

• ongoing activation of HPA pathway leads to high cortisol levels
• cortisol reduces the bodies immune system by ruling e production of white blood cells eg lymphocytes that fight pathogens
• more likely a person will become ill because invading virus’s and bacteria are not effectively fought off

Question 8

Key study

Answer 8

Kiecolt glaser

Question 9

Describe the procedure of kiecolts keys study

Answer 9

Procedure:
- blood samples from 75 first ear medical students (49m and 26f)
- all volunteered
- samples sent a month before there exams and during there exams which was used a stress sample
- as a measure of immune functioning hey poke at the number of natural killer cell (NK)
- ppts also completed the social readjustment scale (SRRS), to measure other life stressors they were experiencing
- also used a loneliness scale that assess how many interpersonal contacts they had eg social support network

Question 10

Finding of kiecolt glaser study

Answer 10

• immune system was suppressed during exams
• NK cell activity was significantly reduced in stress samples compared to baseline samples
• greatest reduction were in students reporting high levels of social isolation
• immune systems where especially weak in those experiencing other stressful life events and where lonely

Question 11

Conclusion from keicolt glaser study

Answer 11

Research tells us that long term stress had a direct effect on the immune systems which can lead to illness

Question 12

Strengths of role of stress

Answer 12

Supporting research
- steptoe et al
- measured LDL cholesterol levels in blood of 199 middle aged men and women before they carried out 2 stressful tasks in a lab setting
found
- all ppts LDL levels had increased in 3 years but that the greatest increases where those who had shown the greatest stress response to tasks
- shows the more stress prone and individual were the more likley to accumulate LDL blood cholesterol

Question 13

Weaknesses with the role of stress

Answer 13

Self report:
- social desirability bias as ppts may not be honest about stress levels
- lack internal validity making it difficult to draw any conclusions about the role of stress and illness

Lazarus
- many reasons why there is a relationship between stress an illness
- weak link between stress and immune functioning, relationship also influenced by other factors eg personality, lifestyle
- only demonstrates short term effects
- to demonstrate how stress effects health in the long term it would involve continuous measurements overtime
- expensive and impractical