stress and coping

Question 1

What is stress?

Answer 1

physiological response to environmental events that are subjectively appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s ability to adapt

Question 2

Subjective appraisal:

Answer 2

assessment of environmental events as benign vs challenging, harmful, or threatening (ie: primary appraisal); perceived “match” between demands and abilities vs vulnerabilities (secondary appraisal)

Question 3

Example: the subjective appraisal

Answer 3

the subjective appraisal of employment loss for a 14-year old student who lives at home vs. a 50-year old single parents

14 year old may not care as much

Primary appraisal for 50 year old would perceive as a very severe threat and secondary appraisal would consider if it would be easy to find another job

Question 4

Elders Life Stress Inventory

Answer 4

assesses stressful life events among middle aged and older adults

Question 5

The distinction between 2 types of stressors:

Answer 5

1)egocentric stressor: personal, about oneself
Ie:deterioration of memory

2)nonegocentric stressor: linked to social networks
Ie: health of a family member

Question 6

From middle aged to older adulthood, the impact of stressors decline

Answer 6

Frequency of events excluding items specific to health, as we move from middle aged to older adulthood, the experience of stressors (egocentric and non egocentric) decline

Egocentric stressors and egocentric stress have stronger association with poor physical health than non egocentric stressors

Question 7

coping processes:

Answer 7

conscious strategies that are used intentionally; often situationally determined, non-hierarchical, and not associated with pathology:

Question 8

Coping processes are conceptualized as:

Answer 8

The product of biological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, and sociocultural factors (ie normative experiences across life span as we age; cohort specific factors (factors specific to a particular generation))

Dynamic(constantly changing)

adaptive(we learn from them)

Question 9

Selective optimization with compensation (SOC) model

Answer 9

Focuses on individual adaptation

Maintains that, throughout development, individuals experience gains and losses; with age, the balance of gains to losses becomes less positive (ie: losses increase)

Question 10

SOC model

Answer 10

Selection:directing attention to domains in which effective functioning is likely to remain relatively high
No driving while its raining

Optimization: investing resources into the acquisition and refinement of knowledge and skills that are relevant to selected domains
Taking classes to improve driving skills

Compensation: identifying and adopting new strategies to counteract losses in selected domains
Getting glasses that support enhanced seeing while driving

Question 11

Cronkite and Moos (1995)

Answer 11

cognitive approach coping(positive reappraisal), cognitive avoidance coping(acceptance/resignation), behavioral approach coping(problem solving), behavioral avoidance coping (seeking alternative rewards)

Question 12

Aldwin (2007)

Answer 12

problem-focused coping (problem solving), emotion-focused coping (ie avoidance), social-focused coping (seeking instrumental support: older adult asking daughter to pick up their groceries), meaning focused coping (cognitive reframing:reframing a negative experience to positive), religious coping (prayer)

Question 13

Examples of measures:

Answer 13

1)self report questionnaires (ie coping responses inventory, ways of coping questionnaire, coping inventory for stressful situations)
2).Daily diaries
3).Experience sampling methods/ecological momentary assessments

Question 14

Nevertheless, the following findings are common across studies:

Answer 14

1)irrespective of age, approach coping (ie active coping) tends to be associated with greater benefits than avoidance coping

2)irrespective of age, the benefits of approach coping are determined by the malleability of the stressor, if the stressor is not malleable, avoidance coping may be associated with better outcomes

3)irrespective of aging, coping flexibility and goodness of fit are stronger predictors of well-being than the use of a particular “type” of coping

Question 15

Researchers have developed interventions to facilitate approach coping among older adults

Answer 15

Example: Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)

Question 16

CBT

Answer 16

CBT enhances well-being among older adults with anxiety, chronic pain, complicated grief, depression, health problems, and insomnia

Question 17

Given the greater occurrence of stressors that are not malleable in older adulthood, researchers have developed acceptance-based interventions to facilitate avoidance coping among older adults:

Answer 17

Example: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

Question 18

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

Answer 18

ACT is designed NOT TO reduce the frequency or severity of aversive internal experiences but rather reduces the struggle to control or eliminate aversive internal experience and increase engagement in meaningful life activities

ACT is the opposite of CBT, ACT values accepting the aversive internal experience

Question 19

Losada et al contrasted CBT and ACT among older adults caring for family member with dementia

Answer 19

ACT was at least as effective and sometimes more effective than CBT

Question 20

According to socioemotional selectivity theory, emphasis on emotionally meaningful goals among older adults lead to a culling of social networks in old age:

Answer 20

Close and emotionally meaningful social relationships are maintained, novel, Emotionally superficial, and toxic social relationships are abandoned

Instead we focus our efforts on relationships that are rewarding

Question 21

Age does not determine socioemotional selectivity theory and preferences, it is how much time left we perceive

Answer 21

If you encounter a young adult with a terminal illness, that younger adults will engage in behaviors consistent with socioemotional selectivity theory
that older adults engage in

They will limit social relationships to people that provide emotions gratification

Question 22

Attachment styles reflect model of self vs model of other (unconscious associations with our internal working model)

Answer 22

Model of self(attachment anxiety): we see ourselves as lovable or unlovable

Model of other(attachment avoidance): we see others as trustworthy or untrustworthy

Question 23

4 adult attachment styles:

Answer 23

1)secure: positive model of self and positive model of others
Others are trustworthy and i am lovable

2)preoccupied: negative model of self, positive model of others
They are not lovable but others are trustworthy

3)dismissing: positive model of self, negative model of others
they view themselves as lovable but others as untrustworthy

4)fearful: negative model of self and others
they don’t find themselves loveable and others are untrustworthy

Question 24

The most stable pairing is

Answer 24

secure and secure

Another stable pairing is a person who is preoccupied and a person that is dismissing

We tend to cling onto attachment styles that are stable

Question 25

Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are associated with:

Answer 25

Self esteem

Anxiety and depression

Social support:

Conflict resolution

low in anxiety and attachment avoidance are higher in Trust, interdependence, commitment, and relationship satisfaction

Low in anxiety and avoidance are higher in altruism

Low in anxiety and avoidance have better attitudes toward outgroups

Question 26

Mean-level change in attachment anxiety as a function of age:

Answer 26

General decline in attachment anxiety with age, less fear of rejection and abandonment

Attachment Anxiety is relatively steady through young-adult through middle age

Decline in attachment anxiety after middle age

Males were higher in attachment anxiety than females, but the decline was more rapid for males than females across lifespan

Question 27

Mean-level change in attachment avoidance as a function of age

Answer 27

Decline in attachment avoidance, less fear of emotional and physical intimacy with age

At all points in time, males were higher than females in attachment avoidance

The Increased social responsibility that we acquire, we inherently experience declines in avoidance and anxiety because these roles require us to be more mature

Answer 28

In contrast to younger adults, older adults have smaller social networks comprised of more emotionally close social partners

Question 29

In contrast to younger adults, older adults have

Answer 29

fewer interactions with acquaintances

Question 30

In contrast to middle age couples, older couples report

Answer 30

fewer disagreements;when disagreements occur, older couples show less negative affect and intensity, more interest in interpersonal harmony

Question 31

Older adults report a ________in marital satisfaction, particularly after children are launched from home

Answer 31

u shaped curve

Question 32

Intergenerational stake hypothesis:

Answer 32

older adults report less ambivalence about their children than their children report about their parents

Question 33

Older adults report hourglass effect in sibling relationships,

Answer 33

characterized by increased closeness among siblings in older adulthood

Closeness in adolescence, in middle age you drift, after middle age you come back together again

Question 34

What is the relationship between age and job performance?

Answer 34

1)age is unrelated to indices of core task performance: tasks that are essential to the job itself

2)age is unrelated or modestly related to indices of “non core task performance”: tasks that are not vital to role itself but enhance efficiency and productivity
~~In cases in which modest correlations exist between age and noncore task performance, these relations suggest older workers exhibit better non core task performance than younger workers

3)age is inversely related to indices of counterproductive work behavior: tardiness, absent
~~The older you are the less likely you are to engage in counterproductive behavior

Question 35

Select Correlations between Age and indices of core and noncore task performance

Answer 35

Change oriented behaviors: older adults were less resistant to change than younger people

General absenteeism (objective measures): as we get older we are less likely to engage in counterproductive behavior (ie being late)

OCB’s (organizational citizenship behaviors that contribute to the productivity of the workplace) directed as tasks: as we get older we’re more likely to engage in good citizenship in workplace
~~OCB examples:compliance with organizational norms, helping and mentoring coworkers

Tardiness: less likely to be late as we get older

Question 36

What is the relationship between age and job satisfaction?

Answer 36

Job satisfaction declines in middle age, but increase after
~~We hold more senior roles in older age and prestige

Question 37

what effects job satisfaction

Answer 37

Age, sex, and job tenure(# of years working) did not affect job satisfaction, but positive vs. negative emotional disposition affect job satisfaction

Question 38

Older adults reporting greater dissatisfaction with promotion opportunities than younger people

Answer 38

Negative correlation may be due to failed aspirations

Question 39

Relationship between retirement and well being

Answer 39

1)role theory
2)continuity theory
3)life course perspective
4)resource model

Question 40

Role theory

Answer 40

Loss of the worker role and associated results in reduced well being in retirement

Question 41

Continuity theory

Answer 41

Identity is determined by multiple sources; continuity in self-perception, family, and non-work related activities and interests allow for ongoing well-being in retirement

Question 42

Life course perspective

Answer 42

Accumulated experience over the life span and individual context influence well-being in retirement

Question 43

Resource model

Answer 43

Cognitive, emotional, financial, motivational, physical, and social resources influence well-being in retirement

Question 44

Key findings of qualitative review on transition to retirement

Answer 44

When pre/post test designs are used, overall levels of well being tend to remain stable through the transition to retirement

When more complex designs are used, personal and situational characteristics influence the relationship between retirement on well being:
~~example:country,SES, sex