stress and coping Flashcards
what is the meaning of well adjusted
ow anxiety, low ‘stress’
* Calm, relaxed
– happiness, satisfaction with life
* Positive emotions: Joyful, Enthusiastic, Interested
– ability to adapt to change
* continue to be able to function despite stress/adversity
* flexible
what does the body seek in an evolving and changing environment
homeostasis: balance, equilibrium
what is allostatis?
process of adapting, returning to homeostasis
what is Allostatic load?
wear & tear on body as it tries to adjust to ongoing, chronic stress
what is stress?
a feeling, worry, anxiety, agitation, fear, overwhelmed
what is the thought cognition in relation to anxiety?
What do I do?, I don’t think I can handle this!
what is the physiological response to stress?
increased heart rate, blood pressure,
stress is?
a biopsychosocial process
- has a biological component,
- psychological component
social component
what is a stressor?
is an event/situation (usually outside the person)
that is interpreted by individual in a way that activates
stress process
what is the stress process?
respond to threat, then return body
to baseline (homeostasis)
–physiologically
–emotionally
–cognitively
A stressor is anything that initiates the stress process, give some examples
losing my job, loss of a loved one, death
psychological appraisal example?
what does this event/situation mean for me?
what is acute stress?
feelings:
thoughts:
physiological response:
feelings: ear, anxiety, tension, nervousness, or excitement.
thoughts: the individual’s thoughts will be impacted by the person’s ability to perform tasks, increased vigilance and alertness
physiological response: increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, prepare the body for a “fight or flight” response
what is chronic stress?
feelings:
thoughts:
physiological response:
chronic stress is a prolonged stress
feelings: anxiety, depression, irritability, and frustration. It can also lead to a sense of helplessness
thoughts: worry, and difficulty concentrating ,It can also lead to negative self-talk and a pessimistic outlook
what is episodic stress?
- repeated episodes of acute stress
ex: going to a job that stresses you out
what is traumatic stress?
severe threat with long-term consequences
ex: loss of a loved one
Stages of physiological response to stressors:
- Alarm: fight or flight: Sympathetic nervous system response, release of adrenaline, cortisol; increased blood pressure
- Resistance:Depletion of resources body’s defenses reduced; repair muscle tissue
- Exhaustion: Susceptible to illness
Sapolsky: What humans were built for
what is primary appraisal?
What is at stake?
* Threat, harm, or benign?
* What does stressor mean to me?
what is secondary appraisal?
-What can I do about it?
* Do I have sufficient resources (personal, social,
monetary, etc) to deal with it?
what is coping?
cognitive & behavioural efforts to manage or alleviate perceived demands
what are some examples of coping?
social support: talking to a friend, getting help
– cognitive reframing: “it isn’t so bad”
– problem-focused coping: fixing what’s broken
– emotion-focused coping: managing emotions;
‘emotional inhibition’ vs ‘emotional expression’
– relationship-focused coping: helping others manage
what is the difference between coping and defense mechanism
defense mechanism is an unconscious response to external factors or internal factors where as coping is couscous and purposeful
what is hardiness?
people that are resilient in the face of major stress
Hardiness consist of three categories:
commitment: Having a goal to which you commit to
control: I am in control of my destiny
challenge: tend to see things as challenges than threats
people with high score commitment, control and challenges
are less likely to get depressed, sick
Things that increase chance of infection
stressful events, poverty, freq moves in childhood
Things that protect/buffer infection
social integration, perceived social support,
sociability, positive affectivity
Risk factors for CVD:
obesity, high blood pressure,
smoking, high cholesterol, family history… and
personality
type A people are:
competitive/ driven and aggressive when frustrated, exaggerated cardiovascular activity after
exposure to stress, also have different neuroendocrine response, platelet activity, inflammation, ..
when does cvd get initiated?
in childhood
