Stress and Health (CH16)

Question 1

Stress

Answer 1

Physical and psychological response to internal or external stressors

Question 2

Stressors

Answer 2

Specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten the person’s well-being

• Internal vs. external
• Positive vs. negative
• Internal vs. external locus of control

Question 3

Health psychology

Answer 3

Subfield of psychology concerned with ways psychological factors influence the causes and treatment of physical illness and the maintenance of health

Question 4

Chronic stressor

Answer 4

Source of stress that occurs continuously or repeatedly; more likely to lead to physical/health issues and interpersonal problems

Question 5

Acute stressor

Answer 5

Temporary source(s) or stress that can be resolved in reasonable time frame (ramp up and down responses)

Question 6

Fight-or-flight response

Answer 6

Emotional and physiological reaction to an emergency that increases readiness for action (automatic NS)

Question 7

HPA axis

Answer 7

Hypothalamus secretes releasing factor that stimulates the pituitary gland for ACTH release into blood which then stimulates the adrenal gland for release of cortisol and catecholamines

Question 8

Catecholamine

Answer 8

Biochemical indicating activation of emotional systems; increase sympathetic NS activation (increase heart rate, bp and respiration rate)
-EP, NE

Question 9

Cortisol

Answer 9

Hormone that increases the concentration of glucose in the blood to make fuel available to the muscles

Question 10

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Answer 10

3-stage physiological stress response that appears regardless of stressor that is encountered (nonspecific)

1. Alarm phase: body rapidly mobilizes its resources to respond to the threat (E. is required, body calls on its stored fat & muscle) *equiv. to Cannon’s fight-or-flight
2. Resistance phase: body adapts to its high state of arousal as it tries to cope with stressor, continuing to draw on resources of fat and muscle; shuts down unnecessary processes like digestion, growth, sex drive & stalls menstruation, sperm + testosterone production
3. Exhaustion phase: body collapses

Question 11

Immune system

Answer 11

Complex response system that protects the body from bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances
-After a stressful event, tend to get sick (illness and healing period is prolonged) since resources were diverted to deal with stressor

Question 12

Atherosclerosis

Answer 12

Coronary heart disease that happens from a gradual narrowing of the arteries that occurs as fatty deposits or plaque build up on the inner walls of the arteries. Narrowed arteries result in a reduced blood supply and eventually when an artery is blocked by a blood clot or detached plaque, thus in a heart attack.

Question 13

Type A behaviour pattern

Answer 13

A tendency toward easily aroused hostility, impatience, a sense of time urgency and competitive achievement strivings
-More likely to engage in violent tendencies, die from heart disease, tend to be more stressed

Question 14

Stress conditioning

Answer 14

Body remembers previous negative experience thus when the same stressor appears (although well prepared), body immediately ramps up
ex. 1st exam = extremely stressful, not prepared; 2nd exam = well prepared but body gets ramped up (automatic stress response) because body had a bad experience before, thus do poorly

Question 15

Reducing test anxiety

Answer 15

Be prepared early
Sleep well
Same caffeine + sugar intake (no increase)
Learn relaxed breathing (to get back to base)
Don’t study the night before (only review)
Review main themes
Have a plan before the exam
Aim to do your best

Question 16

Burnout

Answer 16

A state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion created by long-term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation and accompanied by lowered performance and motivation (cannot do it anymore, feel like there’s nothing more to give even if you like the job)

Question 17

Diathesis stress model

Answer 17

Both genes and the environment contribute to stress (genes determine how well we deal with the stressor; environment provides the stressor)

Question 18

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 18

Chronic physiological arousal, recurrent unwanted thoughts or images of the trauma and avoidance of things that call the traumatic event to mind
-Decrease in amygdala & hippocampus

Question 19

Repressive coping

Answer 19

Avoiding situations or thoughts that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint

Question 20

Rational coping

Answer 20

Facing the stressor and working to overcome it
3 steps:
1. Acceptance: realize that the stressor exists and cannot be wished away
2. Exposure: attending to the stressor, thinking about it and even seeking it out
3. Understanding: working to find the meaning of the stressor in your mind

Question 21

Reframing

Answer 21

Finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces its threat (think/structure stressor in a more positive framework)

Question 22

Stress inoculation training (SIT)

Answer 22

Reframing technique that helps people to cope with stressful situations by developing positive ways to think about the situation

Question 23

Relaxation therapy

Answer 23

Technique for reducing tension by consciously relaxing muscles of body

Question 24

Relaxation response

Answer 24

Condition of reduced muscle tension, cortical activity, heart rate, breathing rate and bp

Question 25

Biofeedback

Answer 25

Use of an external monitoring device to obtain information about a bodily function and possibly gain control over that function

Question 26

Social support

Answer 26

Aid gained through interaction with others

Question 27

Hardiness

Answer 27

Feel committed in a job (value work, success/ failure matters to you)
Feel more control (higher hierarchy thus can deal with problems with power)
Challenging (continue to reach higher, what was hard before becomes easier)
*Flow”

Question 28

Optimism

Answer 28

“In uncertain times, I usually expect the best”

In excessive/extreme: set bar too high thus set oneself up for failure

Question 29

Pessimism

Answer 29

“If something can go wrong for me, it will”

In excessive/extreme: self-fulfilling prophecy