Stress Flashcards
what is stress
state of psychological strain caused by an unplesent stimulus
what is acute stress
little temporary stressor
what is chronic stress
long term
what is general adaptation syndrome
selyes explanation of how body responds in the same way to any stressor. they go through the stages alarm reaction, resistance and exhaustion
what are the 3 stages of general adaption syndrome
1) alarm reaction
2) resistance
3) exhaustion
what is the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal system (HPA)
controls how body responds to chronic stressor
how does the HPA system work
hypothalamus triggers pituitary gland to release ACTH hormone which stimulates release of cortisol
what is the sympathomedullary pathway (SAM)
controls how body initially responds to acute stressor
how does the SAM pathway work
sympathetic nervous system triggers fight or flight response so adrenaline and noradrenaline can communicate with organs
what happens during the alarm reaction in GAS
1) amygdala sends distress signal to hypothalamus
2) hypothalamus activates SAM pathway triggering adrenal glands
3) adrenaline and noradrenaline in bloodstream
what happens during resistance in GAS
body adapts to stressor but uses up lots of resources, lowering immune system
what happens during exhaustion in GAS
re-experience adrenaline causing more stress, damaging adrenal glands so less protein produced
what was seyles study
injected rats daily to see stress response
what did seyle find
after several months of stress, raths had psychological symptoms such as stomach ulcers. and over time has more serious problems.
also when in other stressful situations, had similar response ~ showing GAS
what is immunosuppression
stress causes illness preventing the immune system from working efficiently and destroying germs and pathogens
what is a cardiovascular disorder
any disorder affecting heart or blood vessels
what was glasers study
75 medical students blood test 1 month before and during exams to measure natural killer cell activity. also done questionaire on stressors and loneliness
what did glaser find
- NK cell activity significantly less in blood test 2
- more life stressors and loneliness = less activity
what 3 reasons can stress cause heart problems
1) activates SNS+ ANS producing adrenaline constricting blood vessels so increases BP
2) increased HR wears away blood vessel lining
3) increased glucose creates clumps blocking up blood vessels
what was lampens study
looked at heart attack stats during germanys 1996 world cup
what did lampen find
when germany played, cardiac emergencies increased by 2.66% to control period.
caused by emotional stress
what is a life change
big events in our life that cause major stressors as you have to mentally adapt to new circumstances
what was holmes and rahes study
social reajustment scale
what was holmes and rahes procedure
made list of 43 life events, got 400 ppl to rate how stressful each one, death of spouse top so got 100 points, and went down from there
what did holmes and rahes find
150 points = reasonable health
150-300 points = 50% had illness
300+ points = 80% had illness
what is a daily hassle
relativley minor fustrations and annoyances of every day life
what is a daily uplift
positive experiences that boost mood
how do you measure daily hassle
HSUP
* measures respondents attitudes to hassles and uplifts
* provides comfortable way to evaluate positive and negative events
what was lazarus study
daily hassles and uplifts scale
what was lazarus procedure
ptps do questionaire with 117 items on at end of day ranking things as either a daily hassle or uplift from 0-3 based on how often they experience. total scores added and indicate stress levels
what is primary appraisal
come across something that hassles us and we work out how it could threaten our psychological health
what is secondary appraisal
if we thing its bad for our psychological health we decide how well equiped we are to cope
what is psychological appraisal
look at daily hassles in how we cope and what each hassle means to an individual
what was kanners study
look at association between daily hassles, uplifts and symptoms of stress compared to outcomes
what was kanners procedure
100 ppl hsvp scale, scale of life changes 1 month before exams and 10 months into.
then done hopkins symptom checklist
what did kanner find
positive correlation between hassles and psychiological symptoms
how can you evaluate kanner
corrrelation not causation
self report so lacks validity
what was was gervais study
how uplifts and hassles effect nurses job performance
what was gervais procedure
kept diary for 1 month recording hassles and uplifts
what did gervais find
hassles increase strain uplifts improve performance
what are the 2 general methods of measuring stress
SSRS and hassles and uplifts
what does ssrs stand for
social reajustment rating scale
who made ssrs
holmes and rahe
