Stress: Part 2 - Chappy 3

Question 1

What are the four types of social support? describe them What stressors warrant which types of social support?

Answer 1

Emotional esteem/support
Expression of empathy, understanding, caring, encouragement - creates sense of belonging, validation and reassurance
Tangible/instrumental support
Service - directly helps in an issue (ex: scholarships)
Informational support
Provide new insights, feedback, how stressed we should be about something (how threatening)
Companionship support
Ability to just spend time with others (not necessarily talking about issues, just having fun with people who love you)

Preference
Life threatening: people value emotional and esteem
Non-life threatening: people appreciate a variety

Question 2

What are the two types of factors when considering differences in social support?
What does Sarason ask when she measures social support?

Answer 2

Receiver factors: unsociable, don’t help others, not assertive, uncomfortable confiding, perceived/actual burden

Provider factors: insufficient resources, stress, need of help themselves, insensitive to the needs of others

“Who helps you feel that you truly have something positive to contribute to others”
Respondents list the people they can rely on and then indicate their overall degree of satisfaction with the S available

Question 3

What are the socio cultural differences related to social support?

Answer 3

Immigrants 2 urban areas report smaller networks + use networks less frequently (us, native-born)
The larger the city the less likely pp are 2 join community organizations or spend time with friends

Question 4

What does social support do for wellness levels?

What studies, both involving performing a stressful task, is indicative of the above?

Answer 4

Generally fewer key negative emotions, less rumination, improved psych well being

Study 1
Measure psych strain when engaging in a stressful activity (speech, mental math) alone or in the presence of others
Results
1) speech - less reactivity when s person is present (vs. alone)
2) reactivity lower with known s person than stranger
BUT: depends on personality, defensive people did not do as well

Study 2
Count backwards by 13s - measure SAM + HPA responses to stress
Presence of pets (dogs best) can keep HR, BP + stress related hormones low - therapy dogs during time of recovery

Question 5

What is the effect of chronic loneliness on wellness?

Answer 5

Indicator of low ss
Meta analysis of 150 studies = association between ss + risk of death
Risk factor on par with smoking/sedentary lifestyle

Question 6

What is the buffering hypothesis? what evidence supports this?

Answer 6

Social s affects health by protecting people against (-) effects of high stress (more effective under high stress but low stress is still buffered a little)

Evidence
Soc s has a stronger association with low BP during job stress times (vs. non-stressful times)
Might be less likely to appraise as stressful - expect that someone may help them (primary appraisal)

Question 7

What is the direct effect hypothesis? give an example

Answer 7

Ss may b helpful cause it provides advice/resources that help us avoid/minimize exposure to stressful events + circumstances

Ex: help us avoid interpersonal conflicts, stress from to many commitments, financial difficulties (friends stop us from doing dumb stuff

Question 8

What can occur if someone is lacking in personal control?

What is this called? what are the three effects?

Answer 8

Prolonged + high levels of stress and feel that nothing they do matters
Come to believe no control over external events even when they could succeed

Pessimistic explanatory style - learned helplessness
Internal (own failure)
Stable (long-lasting)
Global (wide ranging effects)

Question 9

How do personal control and health intersect?

What is the study that supports this theory?

Answer 9

People with more person control = More likely to maintain health + prevent illness
May adjust to their illness + promote their own rehabilitation

Study
Manipulate amount of personal responsibility for elders in homes
More responsibility = happier, more active, more alert, 1.5 years later: still happier and more active with half the rate of mortality
Small control = big impact

Question 10

What is type “A” behavioral traits?
How do type “A” handle stress?

Hint: (4) CAVT 
Cat asks (for) vodka tonic

Answer 10

Competitive
Time urgency
Vigorous vocal style
Anger/hostility

Quick/strong reactions (catecholamines, cortisol)
Interpret stressors as threats to personal control
Choose more demanding work + leisure activities
Often evoke confrontation

Question 11

What is type “B” behavior?

Answer 11

Lower levels of the “4 characteristics”
Easy going/relaxed
More philosophical about life

Question 12

How does stress affect health (behavior and physiology)?

What are these two routes called, which is which?

Answer 12

Connections have been shown between illness + degree of reactivity pp show in their cardiovascular, endocrine, + immune systems when stressed

B: (+) dietary fat, tb use, alc use, accidents, (-) dietary fruits, veggies, exercise, sleep
P: (+) BP, unfavorable lipids in B, activated platelets in B, clotting factors in B, stress hormones (catecholamines, corticosteroids), (-) immune function

Direct route: changes 2 bodie’s physiology
Indirect route: affecting health through behaviours

Question 13

What is the monkey stress study? what does it say?

How does the CVS react to stress?

Answer 13

Dominance structure - dom more stressed than sub
Stress condition: moving vs. staying put
Alter dominance structure by moving dom to new enviro to be a sub, have to fight back up again = more atherosclerosis - prevent if drug blocks SNS activation

More clotting (high platelets), high cholst, high inflammatory substance = atherosclerosis, hypertension, stroke

Question 14

What are catecholamines?
What are corticosteroids?
What effect can they have on CVS?

What longitudinal study supports this idea?

Answer 14

Catecholamines (epine) + corticosteroids (cortisol) can lead to illness by impacting the heart system

Magnitude of cortisol response to stress predicted risk of developing hypertension (high BP)
Intense episode can cause erratic heartbeats, can lead 2 death

Study
Participants: 861 people (65+)
Measured cortisol over 24h (urine samples)- followed up 6 yrs later
Results: urine cortisol does not predict death from non-cardioV but strongly predicted death from heart attack + stroke (highest cortisol, 5x risk)

Question 15

How does the immune system respond to stress?

Diff between acute and chronic stressors?

Answer 15

Cells multiply or proliferate in response 2 antigens (invaders)
Ability to destroy antigens - successful reaction 2 flu vaccination

Release of catecho/corti alters I functioning
Acute stressors activate
chronic stressors suppress (increase inflammation)

Question 16

Explain the nasal drop studies in relation to stress and the immune system?
What did socsup do?

Answer 16

Research: gave people’s nasal drops that contained
Common cold virus
Placebo
Quarantined - check for symptoms (before drops people filled out forms to access recent stress)
Result
47% of those with high stress and 27% of those without stress developed colds

Strong ss = strong immune system/less impairments
People (healthy) report social ties, given drops with cold
Results - larger group = less likely sick (also works for more serious illness)

Question 17

Explain the blister study? what does it say about social support?

Answer 17

Research: participants are married couples
Small blisters administered, engaged in either support or argument
Blister healing over 2 weeks

Results
Blister wounds healed slower w/conflict than support (impt implications for patients undergoing surgery)

Question 18

What are the two primary ways people cope with stress?

Answer 18

Emotion focused
Aimed at controlling emotional response (behavioural or cognitive)
Often used when
Can’t change stressor
Don’t have the resources to deal with demand

Problem focused coping
Aimed at reducing demands of situation
Expanding resources for dealing with issue
Often use when demand is changeable

Question 19

What is the breakdown of promising coping? what does each step provide?

Answer 19

Engaging positive emotions (laugh through the pain)
Soften or balance against feelings of distress 
Finding benefits or meaning 
Spin it; less depression 
Accomodating to a stressor 
Carry on with life 
Engaging in emotional approach 
Actively processing/expressing

Question 20

What are the different ways we can engage in proactive coping?

Answer 20

Enhancing social support
Managing interpersonal factors - avoiding conflict, being assertive (viewing situations as challenges, leads to less stress + better outcomes)
Organizing one’s world better - don’t be a hot ass mess (setting attainable goals, making a to do list, schedule the day/allocate time)
Exercising
Preparing for stressful events

Question 21

Describe some different ways you can engage in stress management?

IMPT: define cog restructuring and biofeedback

Answer 21

Programming of behaviour + cog techniques designed to reduce psych/phys reactions 2
Ex: medication (benzos decrease cns: betta blockers - sns)
Relaxation: massage (host of benefits)
Biofeedback
Monitors (hr, muscle tension) enables people to gain voluntary control over these processes
Cognitive restructuring
Replace irrational thoughts - hypothesis testing = treat belief as a theory, look for evidence against it