Stress

Question 1

Stress

Answer 1

a psychological and physiological state of tension in response to a stimulus

Question 2

Eustress

Answer 2

a form of stress that is positive psychological state

Question 2

Distress

Answer 2

a form of stress characterised by a negative psychological state

Question 3

Acute stress

Answer 3

Acute stress is a short term stress

Question 3

Chronic Stress

Answer 3

severe stress that is prolonged for months or years

Question 4

Stressor

Answer 4

the stimulus that prompts the stress response, it can be internal or external

Question 4

Internal stressor

Answer 4

stressor is from within a person’s body, it can be psychological or physiological, eg hunger, illness, low self esteem, pessimistic attitude

Question 4

External stressor

Answer 4

a stimulus from outside a person body, it is environmental, can result from daily pressures or live events, eg exams, financial difficulties, relationship conflicts

Question 5

Physiological responses

Answer 5

headaches, skin rashes, nausea, heart palpitations, heart attack, cold

Question 5

Psychological responses

Answer 5

behaviour- changes to sleep and eating habits, emotional- irritability and aggression, cognitive- decreased concentration and memory impairment

Question 6

Fight flight freeze

Answer 6

activated when faced with a stressor, your body will choose to either confront (fight), run (flight), or remain motionless (freeze), more prominent during acute stress

Question 7

Cortisol

Answer 7

our stress hormone, it releases glucose to help body repair damage done through stress, and combat stress itself

Question 8

Enteric nervous system

Answer 8

a branch on the autonomic nervous system, a network of neurons embedded in the walls of the gastrointestinal system.
Involved in processing food, absorbing nutrients and excreting waste

Question 8

Prolonged stress

Answer 8

can have physiological impacts that harm our health and wellbeing, it does not cause illness but it makes it more likely to occur

Question 9

Microbiota

Answer 9

living organism inside gut that maintains gut health and functioning

Question 9

Gut

Answer 9

all organs and components apart of the digestive tract

Question 10

Poor gut health =

Answer 10

secretes more stress hormones and shows anxiety-like behaviours

Question 11

Gut brain axis

Answer 11

bi-directional relationship between the gut and the brain through the enteric and CNS, effect each other

Question 12

vagus nerve

Answer 12

relays messages between the gut and the brain, 80-90% of the nerve fibres in the vagus nerve is responsible for information from gut to brain, 0-20% responsible for transporting information from the brain to gut

Question 13

Bad gut health

Answer 13

Unhealthy gut microbiota is linked to higher stress levels, anxiety disorders, cognitive decline and autism.
When the brain is bad the gut can be bad, when the gut is bad the brain can be bad

Question 14

Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

Question 14

Cortisol

Answer 14

responsible for maintaining health and wellbeing of the body during stress, however it can have a negative effect: immunity decreases, digestion doesn;t work as it normally does, mood affected, cortisol is sent when it should be doing something else

Question 15

Alarm reaction(shock):

Answer 15

below normal resistance to stress, body acts as if injured, blood pressure and body temperature drop

Question 16

Alarm reaction (counter shock):

Answer 16

resistance to stress is above normal, sympathetic NS activated, F-F-F activated, adrenaline released

Question 16

Resistance

Answer 16

resistance to stress is above normal, cortisol released, unnecessary functions shut down, person appears as normal

Question 17

Exhaustion

Answer 17

resistance to stress below normal, resources depleted, immune system weakened, susceptible to illness and disease, prolonged adrenaline release has negative effects on body

Question 18

HPA = Hypothalamus

Answer 18

tells the pituitary gland to release adrenal glands to release cortisol

Question 19

amygdala

Answer 19

amygdala in the brain detects signal of threat which triggers the HPA axis to release cortisol

Question 20

Factors that influence stress include

Answer 20

optimism vs pessimism, risk taking and challenges, lifestyle and demands, competing pressures, past experience with stress, influence of family and friends, personality, resources and support network

Question 20

Transactional model of stress and coping

Answer 20

looks at stress as a encounter between an individual and its external environment- The stress response depends on how the individual interprets the stressor and their ability to cope Everyone perceives stress differently

Question 21

Primary appraisal

Answer 21

individuals assessment of situation (stressful, benign, positive)- if its stressful they then identify if its harm/loss (has happened), threat (could happen), or challenge

Question 22

Secondary appraisal

Answer 22

Assessment of resources available to deal with demands- internal resources: character, personality, external resources: support networks, money, time Demands greater than resources = stress, adequete resources = eliminate or reduce stress

Question 23

Reappraisal

Answer 23

finding something stressful and coping before revisiting the stressor and reinterpreting it

Question 24

Coping with stress

Answer 24

exercise (use the adrenaline), meditation (reduce physiological responses, less cortisol release), social support (less likely that the demands will outweigh the resources), alcohol/drugs (gives you a dopamine hit)

Question 25

Approach strategy

Answer 25

behaviours that attempt to decrease the stress by addressing or finding solutions to problem, typically a healthy response to stress

Question 26

Avoidant Strategy

Answer 26

failing to engage or deal with the stress by protecting oneself from psychological stress, typically a maladaptive, unhealthy for the individual and unhelpful for relieving the source of the stress

Question 27

Context-specific effectiveness

Answer 27

coping strategy must fit with context, appropriate for unique demands of stressor

Question 28

Coping Flexibility

Answer 28

the ability to look at something ineffective and replace it with an effective strategy