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ATS 1262 > Stress, Coping and Mindfulness > Flashcards

Stress, Coping and Mindfulness Flashcards

1
Q

What is stress?

A
  • The pattern of specific and nonspecific responses an organism makes to stimulus events that disturb its equilibrium and tax or exceed its ability or resources to cope
  • Stress is a personal reaction to stressors
  • Highly subjective experience
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2
Q

What is a stressor?

A
  • An internal or external event or stimulus that induces stress
  • Also subjective: a situation may be a stressor for one person and not a stressor for another; depends on personality of perceiver etc.
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3
Q

Physiological Stress Reaction:

- What is acute stress?

A

transient state of arousal with typically clear onset and offset patterns; short term event, most common form of stress- in small amounts can be thrilling

e. g. sky diving
e. g. dodging an animal when driving
e. g. anxiety when walking into an exam

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4
Q

Physiological Stress Reaction:

- What is chronic stress?

A
  • Continuous state of arousal in which an individual perceives demands as greater than the inner and outer resources available for dealing with them; no elements of thrill associated, long term, many negative effects on heath
    e. g. everyday stressors that are not being managed
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5
Q

Physiological Stress Reaction:

- What is the fight or flight response?

A
  • Sequence of internal activities triggered when an organism is faced with a threat; body prepares for either combat and struggle or for running away to safety
  • The centre of this response is the hypothalamus:
    1. The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic autonomic nervous system
    2. The hypothalamus activates the pituitary gland to secrete hormones TTH and ACTH
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6
Q

What are the gender differences in stress reactions?

A
  • Rather than the fight or flight response, females experience the tend and befriend response
  • Tend and befriend response: ensure safety of their offspring by tending to their needs, and also befriending other members of their social group with same goal of reducing the vulnerability of their offspring
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7
Q

What is at the root of stress for many people?

A
  • Major life events (positive or negative)

- Measure of impact of life events is by life-change units (LCUs)

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8
Q

What is a traumatic event?

A
  • Events that are negative, but also uncontrollable, unpredictable or ambiguous are particularly stressful
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9
Q

What is PTSD?

A
  • Post traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder characterised by the persistent re-experience of traumatic events through distressing recollections, nightmares, hallucinations, or dissociative flashbacks
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10
Q

What is coping?

What are the two main strategies?

A

Coping: The process of dealing with internal or external demands that are perceived to be threatening or overwhelming

  1. Cognitive and Behavioural Efforts: aims to reduce stress by overcoming the source of the problem(s)
    e. g. if you are stressed about school, getting a tutor
  2. Managing emotional responses to stress: accepting/ignoring/venting about the problem(s)
    e. g. if you are having problems with school complaining about school to your friends
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11
Q

What is the cognitive appraisal of stressors?

A
  • Cognitive appraisal is the cognitive interpretation and evaluation of a stressor
  • There are two forms:
    1. Primary appraisal: evaluating the event/situation as stressful
    2. Secondary appraisal: managing the situation to cope with the stress
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12
Q

What are stress moderator variables?

A
  • Variables that change the impact of a stressor

e. g. having a good support network

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13
Q

What are the stages of cognitive appraisal?

A

1) appraising the challenge
2) surveying alternatives
3) weighing alternatives
4) deliberating about commitment
5) adhering despite negative feedback

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14
Q

What is anticipatory coping?

A
  • Efforts made in advance of a potentially stressful event to overcome, reduce or tolerate the balance between perceived demands and available resources
    e. g. if you have a stressful medical appointment looking up directions to make the journey there as easy as possible
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15
Q

What is Problem-focused coping?

A
  • Change stressor or one’s relationship to it through direct actions and/or problem-solving activities
  • Best applied when a situation can be changed
    e. g. being stressed about having poor English- attending English classes
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16
Q

What is Emotion Focused coping?

A
  • Change self through activities that make one feel better but do not change the stressor
    e. g. learning to ignore someone that is being discriminatory of you in a workplace and focusing on those who are friendly towards you
  • Applied when situations cannot be changed
17
Q

What features do children that become resilient adults exhibit?

A
  • Have developed coping skills that related to their ability to regulate their own behaviour
    i. e. They can stay focused on tasks (allowing for problem-directed coping) and control their emotional responses (allowing for emotion-focused coping)
18
Q

What are modifying cognitive strategies?

A
  • Reappraising the nature of the stressors themselves
  • Restructuring your cognitions about your stress reactions
    e. g. change the way you perceive a stressor e.g. cognitive behavioural therapies
19
Q

What is percieved control as a coping mechanism?

A
  • The belief that one has the ability to make a difference in the course of the consequences of some event or experience – this can often be helpful in dealing with stressors
20
Q

What are the positive effects of stress?

A
  • Post traumatic growth: stressful experiences can lead to positive psychological outcomes
    e. g. someone that has suffered from cancer may say that the cancer has made them a better person, stronger, appreciates life more etc.
21
Q

What is Mindfulness?

A

Defined as: Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally

  • Being in a mindful state means to focus one’s full attention to and being aware of the experience of the present moment, whether they are external, such as an image, or internal, such as a bodily sensation
  • Involves examining and acknowledging whatever arises with a non-judgmental and non-reactionary attitude of acceptance
22
Q

What are some health benefits of Mindfulness Based Interventions?

A

Physical health:

  • slows down rate of cellular aging
  • increases amount of grey matter density in brain

Positive clinical outcomes:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Chronic pain
  • Cancer
  • Improved sleep
  • Diabetes

ATS 1262 (12 decks)

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