stress and coping

Question 1

what is stress?

Answer 1

stress is a psychological and/or physiological response produced by internal or external stressors

Question 2

what is distress

Answer 2

a negative psychological response to a stressor indicated by the presence of negative psychological states.

Question 3

what is eustress

Answer 3

a positive psychological response to a stressor indicated by the presence of positive psychological states.

Question 4

what is acute stress

Answer 4

a cute stress is stress that lasts for a relatively short period of time. e.g. stress experienced when running late for an appointment.

Question 5

what is chronic stress

Answer 5

chronic stress is stress that continues for an extended period of time. it can be overwhelming and debilitating. for example the stress experienced with ongoing financial issues.

Question 6

what is the fight flight freeze response.

Answer 6

it is an involuntary physiological response to a stressor that prepares the body for at least one of these behaviours to occur ( fight flight or freeze)

Question 7

what are some changes associated with fight and flight?

Answer 7

• increased heart rate and blood pressure
• increased breathing
• increased glucose secretion by the liver
  -dilation of pupils
  -supression of non-essential functions such as digestion.

Question 8

changes associated with freeze

Answer 8

• body movements stop
  -vocalisations stop
  -the heart rate slows significantly
  -blood pressure drops quickly (risk of fainting)
  -tense muscles become still
  -a reflexive turning of the head and/or eyes towards the direction of the threat
  -hypervigilance(I.e. being on guard)

Question 9

what is cortisol

Answer 9

a stress hormone with a wide range of functions. it increases sugar/glucose, secretion into the bloodstream(I.e energy), enhances the metabolism, has anti-inflammatory properties, slows non-essential functions etc.

Question 10

what pathway activates the production of cortisol?

Answer 10

the hpyothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) axis.

Question 11

what are the benefits of cortisol

Answer 11

• the energising effects persist for a longer duration of time than the energising effects of adrenaline and no adrenaline
  -it has anti-inflammatory properties
  -it helps in the regulation of blood pressures
  -it helps in the regulation of blood glucose levels

Question 12

what are the side effects of cortisol

Answer 12

• aches and pains
  -impaired immune system
  -slow wound healing
  -increased vulnerability to disease
  -hypertension ( high blood pressure)
  -cardiovascular trouble
  -impaired memory
  -depression
  -excessive anxiety
  -weight gain

Question 13

what is the gut-brain axis

Answer 13

a bi-directional network of neural pathways between the central and enteric nervous systems. it taps into the immune system,hpa-axis, Autonomic nervous system and endocrine systems.

Question 14

what are the three stages in the gas model

Answer 14

1. alarm reaction ( with shock and counter shock)
2. resistance
3. exhaustion.

Question 15

what are the stages of the Lazarus and folkman transactional model and what happens withing each stage

Answer 15

1. primary appraisal stage
   we decide if a situation is irrelevant, benign positive, or stressful. if the event/situation is appraised as being stressful we will then further assess if it is harmful, threatening or challenging.
2. secondary appraisal stage
   We assess what social, cultural and personal resources we have for coping with the stressor. we either decide we have adequate coping strategies or we do not.
   stress is experienced when a person does not have adequate coping strategies.

Question 16

what are approach strategies

Answer 16

involve efforts to confront a stressor and deal with it directly. actions are focused towards the stressor, it causes solutions that address the underlying issue.

Question 17

what are avoidance strategies

Answer 17

involve efforts to avoid a stressor and deal with its effects indirectly. there is no attempt to confront the stressor and/or its cause.

Question 18

what is context specific effectiveness

Answer 18

a coping strategy is considered to have context-specific effectiveness when there is a match or a ‘good fit’ between the coping strategy and the stressful situation.

in order for a coping strategy to be effective it must take into account all of the characteristics of the situation.

Question 19

explain the importance of coping flexibility.

Answer 19

refers to the ability to effectively modify or adjust ones coping strategies according to the demands of the situation
this includes the abilities to:
-recognise whether a coping strategy is appropriate fora specific situation.
-recognising when a coping strategy is ineffective.
- modify/discontinue on ineffective coping strategies
-identify and implement an alternative strategy.

Question 20

what occurs in the alarm reaction phase of the gas model?

Answer 20

first the body goes into a temporary state of shock and its resistance to stress falls below normal levels, physiologically the body reacts as if it was injured. blood pressures and body temperature

then the body rebounds with a reaction known as counter shock. this is when the sympathetic nervous system is working hard and resistance to the stressor increases, stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol will be released, allowing the individual to be aroused and alert enough for the flight-fight-freeze response to occur

Question 21

what occurs in the resistance stage of the gas model

Answer 21

if the stressor isn’t removed or dealt with immediately, the body will enter the resistance stage. the body’s physiological arousal rises and remains well above normal level to save energy, all unnecessary physiological processes shut down ( digestion, growth, etc.)

cortisol levels remain high providing energy and acting as an inflammatory agent. unfortunately cortisol also suppresses/weakens the immune system and limits the body’s ability to fight off germs.

Question 22

what occurs in the exhaustion stage of the gas model?

Answer 22

our stress coping resources (I.e physical emotional and mental) deplete and we are vulnerable to various physical and mental disorders (I.e. depression, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders). fatigue, anxiety, sleep disturbances and high blood pressure are early signs of wear and tear.

if the stressors persists damage can become permanent and people can die.