stress, health, coping

Question 1

define stressors

Answer 1

events in environment that place demands on us.
historically - life threats.
now - job, deadlines. etc.

Question 2

impact of sress?

Answer 2

lead to physiological responses

Question 3

examples of microstressors

Answer 3

daily hassles, poor interactions, traffic

Question 4

catastrophic evvents

major negative events

Answer 4

• occur unexpectedly, affect large #’s of people
• stressful life event

= both longer lasting effects

Question 5

person-situation interaction with stress

• cognitive appraisals
  coping machanisms

Answer 5

• transaction between organism and environment

cognitive appraisal: interpretation of stressor = interpret differently based on situation. important in what happens in terms of stress response

coping mechanism: how do we deal with situations.

Question 6

4 aspects of cognitive appraisal

Answer 6

1. primary appraisal = demands of situation – how important, how stressful?
2. secondary appraisal = resources available to cope – how well you can cope, workload? support?
3. judgements of consequences of situation. what happens next? how does it impact you?
4. personal meaning - what does outcome imply? what does it mean to you, how does it affect self-view, worldview

Question 7

measuring stress - life event scale

Answer 7

quantifies stress over given period of time
- particular event that occurred
- appraisal of event +/-
- major event (long term?)
other things (ability to deal)

Question 8

chronic stress = general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Answer 8

physiological reaction to prolonged stress.

- shouldnt last indefinitely. stress response will be over-worked trying to maintain balance

Question 9

stages of GAS

1. alarm
2. resistance
3. exhaustion

Answer 9

1. similar to fight or flight. activation of symp. release cortisol. trigger increase in blood sugars, suppress immune system.
2. continued recruitment of resources. can last long time.
3. resources dangerously depleted, increased vulnerability to disease, cardiovascular problems and immune system difficulties

Question 10

initat stress response adaptive, but chronic stress is not.

Answer 10

chronic stress affect brain: brain size, structure, function. increase activity and number in amygdala, hippocampus deteriorates - depress HPA axis.
affect DNA: more nurturing - better response to stress. negligent moms = more sensitive to stress. epigenetic changes. passed down many generations after = heritable
reverse stress: exercise, meditation - breathe deeply, focused on surorunding. increase size of hippocampus.

Question 11

stress and aging

Answer 11

more stress - affects telomere length by shortening. chronic cortisol also related to shortening of telomeres.

Question 12

coping strategies (3)

Answer 12

1. problem-focused coping: planning how to deal, assertive confrontation (talk positive)
2. emotion-focused coping: positive reinterpretation, acceptance (worse otucomes = denial, emotion suppression)
3. seeking social support: emotional support, affirmation or worth. talking w others.

*with little control over the situation, fewer maladaptives behaviours with emotion focused

Question 13

coping strategies: effectiveness

- differences in outcomes for emotion focused outcomes

Answer 13

1. positive outcomes with Id & changing irrational thought patterns; relaxation techniques
2. negative outcomes with avoidance, denial, wishful thinking

Question 14

gender differences in coping

Answer 14

males = problem-focused approach
females = emotion-focused and social-support approach.

Question 15

cultural differences in coping

Answer 15

north americans & europeans = problem focused.

emotion-focused and social support = asians and hispanics.

Question 16

relieve stress

Answer 16

exercise
get in control - plan of action, tackle
- talk to someone, socialize
- do something else with your mind

Question 17

post traumatic stress disorder

symptoms

Answer 17

• severe anxiety, physiological arousal
  reliving event
  emotional numbing
  intense guilt

Question 18

residential school syndrome

Answer 18

similar to PTSD but also anger, violence and drug abuse.

Question 19

effects on health: illness
stress and its health impacts
time scale

Answer 19

stress = increase in chronic conditions; increased change of health problems especially with pre-existing conditions, increases with # of stressors

immediate or long term

Question 20

relationship & illness

Answer 20

stress produced by marital conflict = decrease in immune function

Question 21

health research: risk and protective factors

Answer 21

protective factors = reduce impact

risk factors = increase impact

Question 22

social protections
social support
enhances immune system

Answer 22

social support- more is protective. blunts impact of stress. sense of identity, meaning. may prevent maladaptive ways of coping

enhances immune system. shown among cancer patients - people who talk about negative life events.

Question 23

cognitive protective factors

• hardiness
• coping self efficacy

Answer 23

commitment- what they do is important
control - (perceived) control over situation
challenge - situation is a challenge not a threat.

belief we can successfully cope

• increased efficacy from: previous successes; observing others; social persuasion/encouragement; low levels of arousal
• shown to increase immune system functioning

optimism: rosy view of the future; belief that things will work out. optimists have: appraisal of being less helpless; better adjustment to negative life events; sense of less helplessness; better health

Question 24

personality and health

Answer 24

type A: ambitious, high-achieving, perfectionists, who are very competitive = heart disease.

type B: relaxed, uncompetitive and creative.

Question 25

resilience

Answer 25

coping from set backs. - training your working memory helps train your mental state, making your brain better fit to cope with adversities in life. - most resilient children come from troubled homes.

Question 26

health psychology

Answer 26

studies psychological and behavioural factors in the prevention and treatment of illness and in the maintenance of health. recognizes the role that behaviour plays in health maintenance

Question 27

health -related behaviours fall into 2 main categories

Answer 27

1. health -enhancing behaviours (exercise, diet, safe sex, health exams) 2. health -compromising behaviours - promote illness.

Question 28

the transtheoretical model

Answer 28

identifies 6 major stages people generally go through in health change 1. precontemplation ( risky behaviour, no desire to change) -- edu therapy 2. contemplation ( perceive problem or desire for change) 3. preparation (plan of action) - talk about solutions 4. action (actively modify, great commitment) 5. maintenance (avoid relapse_ 6. termination (change in behaviour ingrained

Question 29

increasing healthy behaviours

Answer 29

look at mortality and health practices. health practices are associated with longevity - pattern worse for men.

Question 30

exercise

Answer 30

sedentary lifestyle & health probelms. aerobic = burn calories anaerobic - build muscle. positives to both. benefits to exercise 3 times a week.

Question 31

exercise interventions

Answer 31

1. exercise programs through work - high dropout 2. behavioural interventions - goal setting, exercise contracts, monitor progress 3. identify impediments and address them - plan for issues

Question 32

weight control interventions

Answer 32

1. record what you eat, how much and when 2. eating style interventions - put down utensils in between 3. exercise (at same time) - more weight loss, more long term effects.