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STRESS PSYCHOLOGY > Stress General > Flashcards

Stress General Flashcards

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1
Q

Pituitary Adrenal System (PAS)

A

Stressor >

Hypothalamus releases CRF >

Pituitary gland releases ACTH >

Adrenal cortex releases corticosteroids >

Bloodstream

—> Immune system is suppressed, gylcogen is converted to glucose, ie energy reserves are mobilised

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2
Q

Sympathomedullary pathwy (SAM)

A

Stressor>

Hypothalamus >

Sympathetic branch of the ANS activates >

Adrenal Medulla releases >

Adrenaline/noradrenaline causes

Fight or flight response (causes dilation, heart rate quickens to get oxygen to muscles)

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3
Q

Tend and Befriend

A
  • Fight or flight response prioritises own well being, thus putting offspring at risk
  • Females make greater investment in offspring in pregnancy and support afterwards
  • Fight or flight response is inhibited in females, females TEND to their young and BEFRIEND other females as a defensive tactic
  • Whilst SNS/cortisol responses are typical of men, the tend and befriend response is typical of females
  • –> 2005, 33 000 die of CHD, 30% female only
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4
Q

The Immune system

A

Natural immunity: Lymphocytes create antibodies which stick together invading pathogens to be engulfed by pathogens eg the phagocyte macrophage

Specific cellular: T lymphocytes, T for thymus gland where they are produced. Seek and destroy foreign cells, and cells infected with antigens like viruses. Combination of Killer, Memory and Helper cells attack in combination

Specific Humoral: B cells, B for bone as they mature in the bone marrow, destroy invading agents in bloodstream (extracellular pathogens). Antibodies secreted to target them

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5
Q

Segerstrom and Miller’s types of stressor

A
  • Meta review of 293 studies investigating effects of stressors on immune system
  • Acute time limited: Last between 5-100 minutes such as public speaking or entering shock
  • –> Upregularion of immunity
  • Brief naturalistic: Everyday stressors of varying duration, ie exam stress
  • –> Shift from cellular to humoral immunity but no overall change on performance
  • Chronic stressors: Long lasting stressors like being a carer
  • –> Supressive downregulation of immunity (global immunosuppression)
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6
Q

How does stress effect the immune system?

A
  • Acute time limited stressors lead to upregulation. Increased immunoglobin production (antibody)
  • Chronic stressors lead to downregulation/immunosupression. High levels of corticosteroids in blood shrink the thymus gland reducing the production of T lymphocytes
  • Immune system prepares tissue for repair by making cytokines (initiate inflammation of wound) . Stressors can alter production
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7
Q

Life changes: The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

A
  • Developed by Holmes and Rahe
  • Changes in life occur that are stressful, the more we have to adjust the more stressful the changes are
  • Asked 5000 patients, men and women of different backgrounds, to rate the readjustment level of different events in relation to marriage (50)
  • -> Spouse death was 100, loosing job was 47

IN PRACTICE: Pps tick off any events from last 2 years, then they are followed to assess their subsequent health (Retrospective and prospective) —> Score of 300+ Increased the odds of health breakdown by 50%

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8
Q

Evaluation of the SRRS

A
  • Individual differences: Scale’s values will vary between people
  • Causality: Correlational relationship between life event/illness. One may cause the other, or vice versa?
  • Self report: People may not reveal all instances of change, ie with a criminal violation
  • Positive life events: Marriage is positive, change in financial state can be either, assumes all changes are stressful
  • Ethno/androcentric: Mortgage over $10 000 now not considered stressful/its common, and “wife stops work”. Enthnocentric as applicable only to Western culture?
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9
Q

Sarason et al (1978) Life Experiences Survey

A
  • 57 items
  • ie Major change in financial status
  • Could be rated from -3 to +3 allowing events to be rated as either positive or negative
  • Less dated, fixes positive life events but still problems with self report, ethnocentric and causality
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10
Q

Daily hastles

A
  • Minor sources of stress that occur in the course of a normal day
  • Can also be daily uplifts which are beneficial and remove stress
  • Stressful because they accumulate over several days to form a persistent irritation
  • May also arise from pre existing chronic stressor, amplifying the effects of the existing stressor
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11
Q

Lazarus’s Hassles Scale

A
  • 117 hassles, 135 uplifts
  • Can be adapted for different groups
  • Examples of various hastles and uplifts (late for work vs relating well to friends)
  • Users identified hastles from the previous month and rated their severity
  • Oppourtunity sample of 100 white middle class women/men filling out hassles questionnaire for previous month, and then tested at end of month. –> Hassles increased levels of health problems, stress and anxiety. Uplifts effected women but not men
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12
Q

Sources of stress in the workplace

A

Work overload: long hours seen as mark of esteem in Western cultures. Has impact on health and family life

Lack of control: Other people may determine workload and work patterns, working hours, working with machinery also contributes to a lack of control

Role ambiguity: Requirements are unclear or poorly defined. Role requirements may be contradictory and may result in other forms of workplace stress (lack of control, relationships with co workers)

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13
Q

Evaluation of research on workplace stressors

A
  • Extranous variables: personality type A may attract a person to a stressful job, but it may be the personality type that is the cause of illness
  • Schaubroeck et al (2001): People who believed they had control did not trust themselves to do well and blamed themselves when they did not. Source of stress, contradicts ‘low control’ as cause of stress
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14
Q

Type A behavior

A
  • Constantly time pressured
  • Multitasking
  • Frustrated with others
  • Competitive
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15
Q

Type B behavior

A
  • Relaxed
  • Passive
  • Non competitive
  • Leisurely (works at own pace)
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16
Q

How does type A behavior lead to illness?

A
  • PAC: Corticosteriods release glucose and fatty acids into the blood stream which are not used up, so they cause clots leading to CHD
  • SAM: Adrenaline>High blood pressure> Furring of artery walls> CHD
17
Q

Evaluation of Type A behavior

A

-Lack of consistent research support: Friedman and Rosenman proposed a link but since there have been few significant correlations to back it up and some (Shekelle) have contradicted the proposed link

  • Role of hostility: High levels of hostility are a key factor, and when combined with high levels of other Type A characteristics there is a significantly increased chance of CHD. Those who repress hostility may be more at threat
  • –> Miller et al meta review hostility is risk factor independently from TAB
  • Influence of hardiness: Many type A individuals cope well with type A. High achievers may have high levels of commitment and control in keeping with their hardy personality. These help manage stress
18
Q

Kobasa’s characteristics of a Hardy personality

A

Control: You control what happens in your life, not outside influences like fate

Commitment: A sense of purpose and involvement with the world around you. It is something to be a part of, not apart from. Involvement with people and careers, and a tendency not to give up

Challenge: Life changes are seen as challenges to be overcome or opportunities, not stressors. Look for growth not security

—> A higher score on questionnaires measuring hardiness will make the person less susceptible to stress related illness. Challenges are not stressors, so less stress response, so less illness

19
Q

Evaluation of hardiness

A
  • Generalisability: Kobasas pps were white collared male workers. Stress coping is different between men and women
  • Poorly defined traits of hardiness. ‘Control’ may be an aspect of commitment and challenge
20
Q

Benzodiazepines (BZs)

A

Use: To combat states of stress and anxiety
Rationale: Excessive neuroactivity leads to anxiety
Aim: Suppress neuron activity
Process: BZs enhance GABA activity, a naturally occurring chemical in the brain which tells then neurons it contacts to slow/stop firing. 40% of neurons respond to GABA. Acts with GABA receptors on neuron, which release Cl ions into neuron which make the neuron less responsive

Examples: Librium, valium

21
Q

Beta Blockers

A

Use: To reduce anxiety and stress
Rationale: Sympathetic arousal is a key feature of stressful states, so reducing arousal reduces stress
Aim: Reduce activity of adrenaline and noradrenaline
Process: Beta blockers bind to beta-adrenergic receptors on the heart to prevent the receptor from being stimulated. This reduces heart contraction and blood vessel contraction > fall in blood pressure and less stress on the heart

Examples: inderal

22
Q

Evaluation of drug therapy

A

Good: Speedy and effective, working almost immediately to reduce dangerous symptoms like high blood pressure. Readily available over the counter and in a wide range, like new ACE inhibitors like captopril

Bad: Can lead to dependency in the long term. BZs may cause withdrawl symptoms such as INCREASED anxiety, tremors, headaches. Only short term treatment. They only target symptoms, not the causes of depression, and since many symptoms are psychological this may prevent the real problems being addressed. Effective alongside psychological therapy and for short periods

23
Q

Stress inoculation trailing (SIT) Meichenbaum

A

Conceptualization: Client relives stressful situations to indentify stressors. They identify what was stressful, how they attempted to cope and why that didn’t work. Gives client a better understanding of their problem. Can be group or individual

Skills training/practice: Clients are taught strategies for coping with the stressors. Relaxation techniques to suppress arousal, and specific tactics relative to the stressor (exams> knowing syllabus)

Real life application: Client must put the treatments to the test in real life. Contact maintained with the therapist and follow up sessions monitor progress

24
Q

Evaluation of SIT

A

Targets symptoms and causes: Targets sources of stress and the behavior, so offers long term treatment

Powerful: Combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy (evaluating thinking and developing strategies) is powerful treatment

Long term

BUT

It takes several sessions, lots of commitment outside of the therapy sessions and lots of money to make it work

Techniques developed will be acting against well established tendencies to deal with stress in a certain way, which will prove difficult and frustrating

STRESS PSYCHOLOGY (2 decks)

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