Stress Flashcards
What did Walter Canon say stress was?
A fight or flight response
What happens during a fight or flight response
Pupils dilate Hairs stand on end Cardiovascular system accelerates Breathing speeds up Fats and glucose metabolise = energy Non essential systems shut down
What did Hans Seyle suggest the stress response was?
GAS model.
A- alarm
R- Resistance
E- exhaustion
Outline the three stages of the gas model
Alarm- response, release of adrenaline, noradrenaline and corticosteroids
Resistance- coping, may develop disease
Exhaustion- energy depletes and resistance collapses
What is the SAM response?
The immediate response to a stressor
Outline the SAM response
> The hypothalamus
which activates the ANS
which causes adrenal medulla
to release adrenaline and noradrenaline into the blood
What happens to the body during the SAM response
Pupils dilate Increase of O2 and glucose to brain and muscles Increased <3 rate Deeper respiration Digestion suppressed
What is the HPA response
The long term response to a stressor
What does SAM stand for
Sympathetic adrenal medullary axis
What does ANS stand for
Automatic nervous system
What does HPA stand for
Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis
Outline the HPA response
> hypothalamus activated > which activates the pituitary glands > which release ACTH > which acts on the adrenal cortex > which releases glucocorticoids , cortisol and glucose
What happens to the body during the HPA response
Immune system suppressed
Decreases pain sensitivity
Decreased immune response
Increased blood pressure
What is stress?
> response to something in environment
stimulus to stressor in environment
lack of for between perceived ability and reality
What are the two types of stress
Distress and eu stress
How can stress effect your health
Cardiovascular disease Immune disease Asthma Diabetes Digestive disorders Ulcers Skin Headaches and migraines Depression
Evaluate the GAS model
> influential, scientific , evidence to support,
ignore individual differences, different stressors have different effects, low ecological validity , evidence mainly from rats
What are the two branches of the nervous system
Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
What are the two branches of the peripheral nervous systems
ANS and somatic nervous system
What are the two branches of the ANS
Sympathetic (SAM) and parasympathetic ( counteracts SAM)
Who developed the transactional model of stress
Cox and Mackay 1978
What what’s can stress cause illness
Directly - biological effects eg hormones
Indirectly- maladaptive coping eg alcohol
What is the immune system
Our main defence against infection by foreign agents (pathogens) which contains white blood cells that seek the infection and suppress it
What are lymphocytes
T and B cells in out adaptive immune system
What are phagocytes
Macrophages and Nk cells in our innate immune system
How can the immune system be reduced by stress
Diversion of energy resources
Hormones
Maladaptive coping
Become under (let things in) or over vigilant ( turn in itself)
Kiecolt-Glaser et al 1984
Natural experiment using 75 participants. Blood taken 1 month before exams and during. And questionnaires completed. T cell and NK cells reduced during exams. Even more so in those reporting high life events and loneliness
Marucha et al 1998
Punch biopsy in mouths of students in summer and exam periods.
Wounds took 40% longer to heal in exam period
Fischer et al 1972
High lymphocyte counts in Apollo astronauts during stress splashdown
Cohen 2005
Couples in conflict lasting more than a month more countable to infections
Supported: Kiecolt-glaser found blisters healed slower on arms in this time
Segerstorm and Miller 2004
Meta analysis of 293 studies over past 30 years and found S-T stressors can boost immune system
L-T stressor can suppress immune system and the longer the stress the more detrimental changes
What did Lazarus say? And why?
Relationship between stress and illness is hard to establish because:
Health is affected by a lot of factors (genetic disposition)
Health is fairly stable and hard to change
Cohen et al 1993
Natural experiment on 394 participants who competed questionnaires in life events scores put into stress index. Participants exposed to common cold virus.
82% became infected and increased chance correlated with the stress index scores
Evaluate Cohen et al 1993
X- ethical? Questionnaires= demand characteristics and social desirability bias , extraneous variables- strong or weak immune system.
What is a life change
An event in life requiring a major change and a degree of psychological adjustment.
What did Holmes and Rahe create and what is it
Social readjustment rating scale and is a way of measuring life changes
What experiment was conducted to create the SRRS
43 life events taken from 5000 patient record.
400 participants scored life events with a baseline of 50 for marriage and an average was produced and given life change units. 150+ increases chance of stress related illnesses by 30% and 300+ by 50%
Rahe et al 1970
2700 men on 3 navy ships completed questionnaire before tour on life events in past 6 months. Higher LCS linked to higher incidence of illness (+.118)
Stone et Al 1987
married couples completed daily checklists over 3 months. undesirable events increased 3-4 days prior to illness.
evaluate the strengths of the SRRS
> correlational support
> Heikennen and Lonngvist- 219 victims in Finland before suicide and found significant life changes
evaluate the weaknesses of the SRRS
> individual differences
positive and negative life changes
reliability of self report? social desirability and demand characteristics
memory
not all events effect health
dated?
LIFE CHANGES ARE RARE and do not happen to everyone’
Brown - sick people will claim LE to justify their illness
what are daily hassles
relatively minor events that arise over the day.
Kanner et Al 1981
100 adults completed questionnaires asking them to choose a hassle they had experienced from a list of 117 and repeated 9 months later.
certain hassles occurred more regularly and those with high scores are more likely to have psychological effects. concluding that daily hassles are linked to stress and health
evaluate Kanner et Al 1981
> cannot assume cause
> Questionnaire problems
DeLongis 1988
studied 75 married couples found no relation between life changes and health but +0.59 between daily hassles and health.
Flett et Al 1995
320 students read a scenario on a major life events or DH and rated the social support the person would need. Life Events scored more.
major life events may differ from DH in the way that people may seek social support for DH.
What did Lazarus 1990 state
that Life Changes are rare and do not happen to all of us.so DH are a more significant source of stress
Gervais 2005
nurses asked to keep diaries for 1 month recording hassles and uplifts. results showed nurses felt uplifts usually counteract the negative effects of DH.
HOWEVER- diaries are hard to analyse and social desirability bias occours
explain the DH and health link
1) Daily Hassles accumulate
2) DH arise from pre-existing chronic stressors and amplify its effects
evaluate research into DH
data is correlational- we cannot assume causality
retrospective reports- rely on memory and honesty
Friedman + Rosenman 1974
3000 39-59yr olds Am Males put into type A B and X using interviews + observations
> 8 year later 25% had CHD of which 70% were A
Kobassa
hardy people are less likely to have stress related illness
type A
competitive, rushed, impatient, hostile
type B
relaxed, patient, expressed feelings
what areas do work place stress arise from
physical environment work pressure relationships role ambiguity control
marmot et al 1997
7000 civil servants aged 33-55 over 5 years.
> Q’naire at beginning and health check for CHD
> those who felt less in control and pps on lowest pay grade 4x more likely to die of CHD
stress on gender
Taylor et AL- women are calmer in stress due to hormones- they seek support
