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Psychology Applied to Health > Stress and Illness > Flashcards

Stress and Illness Flashcards

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1
Q

What makes stressful events stressful?

A
  • Negative
  • Uncontrollable
  • Long-lasting
  • Ambiguous
  • Can’t be dealt with using current resources
  • Relevant to important life domains
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2
Q

What might common stressors include?

A
  • Small daily hassles (e.g. missing the bus)
  • Concerns about work/academic performance
  • Relationship problems
  • Loss of control over goals
  • Financial problems
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3
Q

What is the definition of stress?

A

a relationship between the person and the environment that is perceived by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her wellbeing

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4
Q

Who described the transactional theory of stress and coping?

A

Lazarus and Folkman 1984

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5
Q

What does the transactional theory of stress and coping contain

A
  • Environmental inputs (daily stressors and life events)
  • Individual differences
  • Appraisal differences
  • Psychological responses
  • Coping responses (i.e. PA or smoking)
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6
Q

Describe the social-readjustment rating scale

A

This shows the impact of life events i.e. marriage, death of a close family member and their related stress levels.

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7
Q

Describe the daily Hassles and Uplift Scale?

A

Common events can be rated as hassle/uplift depending on the situation i.e. your children: either light of your life, or have been brats that day

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8
Q

Describe Hassles

A

Rising prices, noisy neighbours, bad weather, feeling lonely, too many responsibilities, too many things to do. Can add up and undermine coping by creating unmanageable demands

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9
Q

Describe Uplifts

A

Uplifts: Good weather, good relationships with neighbours getting on well with friends, having a laugh. Positive effects on mood and reduce perceived demand.

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10
Q

True or false: Hassles more strongly associated with health status than with life-events

A

true!

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11
Q

Experiencing more daily hassles was associated with?

A

Lower psychological well-being

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12
Q

Did daily uplifts make a contribution to health?

A

No, not independent of hassles

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13
Q

Give 2 direct effects of stress, and their associated health consequences

A
  • Reduced functioning of the cardiovascular and immune systems.
  • Chronic stress undermines system functioning.
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14
Q

Give 2 indirect effects of stress, and their associated health consequences

A
  • Increased health risk behaviours (e.g. smoking, alcohol use, drug use).
  • Decreased health promoting behaviours (e.g. physical activity, sleep, diet)
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15
Q

What does ego depletion cause?

A

Lowered executive functioning and poor life choices

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16
Q

What did the 1998 exam stress and wound healing study do/show?

A
  • 3.5 mm punch biopsy wound on hard palate of dental students.
  • Taken once during the summer vacation and 3 days before a major examination.
  • Healing measured using daily photographs and foaming response to hydrogen peroxide.
  • Healing was 3 days (40%) longer in exam period
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17
Q

Give 2 physiological effects of stress

A

dry mouth, excessive perspiration, headaches, frequent infections pounding heart, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, stiff neck, lower back pain, chest pain, asthma, arthritis.

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18
Q

Give 2 emotional effects of stress

A

anxiety and worry, depression, fatigue, hypervigilance, impulsiveness, irritability, trouble remembering things.

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19
Q

Give a cognitive effect of stress

A

inability to concentrate or memory problems.

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20
Q

Give 2 behavioural effects of stress

A

teeth grinding, crying, disrupted eating, disrupted sleep, aggression, sexual problems.

21
Q

What were the physical effects of stress for- evolution?

A

flight and fight response. Evolved to ‘gear us up’ to deal with something which is coming i.e. tiger. About surviving in the moment

22
Q

What is the ANS divided into

A

sympathetic and parasympathetic systems

23
Q

What is the PNS divided into

A

sensory/afferent NS and motor/efferent NS

24
Q

What is the sympathetic (ANS) for

A
  • Induces the “Fight or flight” response
  • Bronchiole dilation/increased breathing rate
  • Increases heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, blood flow to skeletal muscles
  • Deceases metabolism, reduced digestive functions, immune activity, pain perception, salvia production
25
Q

What part of the body releases catecholamines

A

adrenal medulla

26
Q

Give two examples of catecholamines

A

adrenaline and noradrenaline

27
Q

What is the para-sympathetic (ANS) for

A
  • Reduces adrenalin secretion heartbeat, breathing rate, and blood pressure
  • Reduces perspiration and increased salivation
  • Returns the body to a state of homeostasis or balance
  • Promotes relaxation and facilitates energy storage and body regeneration - for future activity
28
Q

Outline the responsibilities of the adrenal medulla

A
  • Secretes catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline)
  • Increased heart rate and blood flow to the muscles
  • Mobilises glucose into the blood
  • Suppresses immune function
  • “fight or flight” response
29
Q

Outline the responsibilities of the adrenal cortex

A

Produces glucocorticoids (cortisol)
Increases glucose in the blood
Reduces the immune response

30
Q

Describe the effects of the Sympathetic Adrenal Medullary (SAM) system

A
  • Increased cardiovascular response
  • Increased respiration
  • Increased perspiration
  • Increased blood flow to muscles
  • Increased muscle strength/activity
31
Q

what does the hormone CRH do

A

causes secretion of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla

32
Q

Describe the effects of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis (HPA)

A
  • Increased protein and fat mobilisation
  • Increased access to energy storage
  • Decreased immune responses
  • Decreased inflammation
33
Q

What does the hormone ACTH do

A

causes secretion of glucocorticoids from the adrenal cortex

34
Q

How do increased catecholamines contribute to chronic stress

A

Increased catecholamines causes a continual release of catecholamines (e.g., adrenaline) and corticosteroids (e.g., cortisol). This increases HR/BP, exerting increased force on heart muscle walls/circulatory system.

35
Q

Give 3 effects of chronic stress

A
  • Raises the risk of viral infection.
  • Triggers histamines which can lead to bronchoconstriction in asthmatics.
  • Increases the risk for diabetes mellitus
  • Alters the acid concentration in the stomach, which leads to peptic ulcers/ulcerative colitis.
  • Leads to plaque build-up in the arteries (atherosclerosis), especially if combined with a high-fat diet and sedentary living.
  • Leads to psychiatric illness (e.g. depression and schizophrenia).
  • May lead to tumour development and suppression of natural killer (NK) cells, which is actively involved in preventing metastasis
36
Q

How does stress effect the heart

A
  • Heart muscle walls become enlarged damaged (left ventricular hypertrophy)
  • Heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle).
  • Muscle loses elasticity and eventually fails to pump with as much force as needed.
  • Shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, heart palpitations, dizziness.
  • Higher risk of a heart attack and stroke.
37
Q

How does stress effect the circulatory system

A
  • Blood vessels and arteries become distended/inflamed.
  • Attracts fat, cholesterol resulting in plaque formation (atherosclerosis).
  • Plaques rupture causing blood clots which stop the blood supply.
  • In a cardiac artery this causes death of heart muscle (an myocardial infarction).
  • In a brain artery causes death of brain cells (a stroke)
38
Q

How can stress lead to depression

A
  • Abnormalities of the HPA axis implicated in depression.
  • High cortisol levels might make the brain more susceptible to depression in the face of stress, but the specific mechanisms are not known.
  • Higher morning cortisol level, life events, and vulnerability status predicted depression onset Harris et al. (2000).
  • Serotonin transporter gene predicted depression in interaction with major stressors (Caspi et al., 2003).
39
Q

Describe the association between cortisol secretion and depression

A
  • Compared to controls, depressed group had a larger cortisol awakening response than at risk (p = .03) or control (p = .01) groups.
  • Depressed group had higher net increase in cortisol secretion in response to the task compared to control.
40
Q

Describe the first line response of phagocytes

A
  • Phagocytes migrate from the blood stream to the site of infection and consume pathogens.
  • Can respond within hours
  • Display antigens on cell their wall
41
Q

Describe the second line of response

A
  • B cells and T cells (called lymphocytes) respond to these antigens.
  • Lymphocytes have up to 100,000 receptors but these all have the same structure so antigen-specific cells are needed through cell multiplication
  • Takes days
42
Q

Describe cell mediated immunity

A
  1. Pathogen enters the blood stream
  2. Monocyte identifies pathogen and presents the pathogen to a t-helper cell (white blood cell) and releases interleukin-1 which stimulates t-helper activity
  3. T helper cell release interleukin-2 which triggers proliferation of t-cell
  4. T cell lead to proliferation of cytotoxic killer cells which attack pathogen
43
Q

Describe antibody mediated immunity

A
  1. B cells attach themselves to pathogens and produce specific antibodies.
  2. These antibodies attach themselves to the pathogen.
  3. Causes pathogens to burst.
  4. Also slows down and marks the pathogen so other cells can more easily kill it.
  5. Antibodies also assist in the formation of B memory cells.
  6. B and T memory cells remember the pathogen to accelerate future immune responses
44
Q

Purpose of Killer T Cells

A

directly attack specific antigens by secreting toxins. Also attack cancer cells.

45
Q

Purpose of Helper T Cells

A

stimulate other specific T cells or B cells to multiply.

46
Q

What do T cells secrete

A

Cytokines

47
Q

What do some B cells become?

A

Plasma cells which produce antibodies

48
Q

Is antibody or cell-mediated immunity more affected by chronic stress?

A

Cell-mediated, as it inhibits formation of B and T cells, by the shrinkage of the thymus gland

49
Q

What did the Stone (2010) paper show about stress and colds

A
  • 17 participants were exposed to a rhinovirus and were individually isolated for 5 consecutive days.
  • Cold symptoms, mucus weights, and tissue use were monitored on a daily basis.
  • 12 subjects developed clinical colds.
  • Mean number of reported major life events for the previous year was higher for those who developed colds (p < .05).

Psychology Applied to Health (10 decks)

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