Stress: Sources Of Stress

Question 1

Where are sources of stress found?

Answer 1

• Life Changes
• Daily hassles
• Workplace stress

Question 2

How can life changes be a source of stress?

How can it be measured?

Answer 2

Life changing events (new work, death of family) can be major sources of stress.
Measures are known as life changing units (LCU’s)

Question 3

What study looks at life changes as a source of stress?

Answer 3

Holmes and Rahe (1967)

Rahe (1970)

Question 4

What is the Holmes and Rahe study?

Answer 4

• Noticed many patients with heart disease reported life events recently.
• Examined records of 5000 patients then generated a list of 43 life events and asked 400 people to rate them.

Question 5

What were the results of Holmes and Rahe study?

Answer 5

Death of a spouse assigned 100 LCU whereas minor violations of law given LCU of 11.

Question 6

What scale can be used for test of stress-related illness.

Answer 6

Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SSRS) - add up the numbers of a persons life events occurring over the past year.

Question 7

What was the aim of Rahe (1970)

Answer 7

Further research interested in seeing if the stresses of major life events are correlated with illness.

Question 8

Procedure of Rahe (1970)

Answer 8

• Looked at 2500 males serving in US navy over 6 months.
• Self-reports questionnaires to indicate how many life events experienced over 6 months.
• Sailors health status was recorded and correlated with their LCU

Question 9

What are the results/conclusions of Rahe (1970) study?

Answer 9

• Positive correlation between LCU and illness scores.
• Suggests life events increases the chance of stress related illness.
• Not a perfect correlation so other factors must play a role.

Question 10

Evaluate Holme and Rahe (1967)

Answer 10

• Study is retrospective, which means they survey people already undergoing treatment for heart disease who are asked to recall prior life events.
• Study carried out in US so events and their ratings may have been culturally specific.

Question 11

What is a daily hassle?

Answer 11

A minor event that arises in the course of a normal day.

-They are usually short-lived but they may linger if left unresolved then may intensify.

Question 12

What is a daily uplift?

Answer 12

Is a positive, desirable experience that makes a daily hassle more bearable.

Question 13

What are examples of daily hassles + uplifts?

Answer 13

Hassles: weight issues, costs of living, daily workload, taxes etc.
Uplifts: getting along with friends/partner, feeling healthy, relaxed at home etc.

Question 14

What studies look at daily hassles + daily uplifts?

Answer 14

Hassles: Bouteyre (2007)
Uplifts: Gervais (2005)

Question 15

What was the aim of Bouteyre?

Answer 15

Investigate relationship between daily hassles and mental health of students during transition between schools and university.

Question 16

What was the procedure of Bouteyre?

Answer 16

1st year psychology students completed Hassles and Uplifts Scale (HSUS) and Beck’s depression inventory to measure depression.

Question 17

What are the results/conclusions of Bouteyre?

Answer 17

Found positive correlation between students suffering from depression and scores on HSUS.
-Shows transition from school to uni has frequent daily hassles, which are a risk factor for depression.

Question 18

What is the aim and procedure of Gervais (2005)

Answer 18

• Investigate how daily hassles + uplifts affect job performance.
• Nurses were asked to diaries for one month, recording all daily hassles and uplifts.

Question 19

What were the results and conclusions of Gervais (2005)

Answer 19

• Daily hassles (i.e. lack of beds) increase job strain. However, uplifts (compliments) increase performance.
• Daily hassles may decrease performance whereas uplifts may counteract hassles and increase performance.

Question 20

What model looks at workplace stress?

Answer 20

Demand-control model developed by Karasek (1979). This states that those who experience high demands at work with little control are more likely to feel stressed.

Question 21

What study looked at workplace stress?

Answer 21

Johansson (1978)

Question 22

What is the sample of Johansson?

Answer 22

• 24 male workers at a Swedish Sawmill.
• High risk/low control - 14 participants - repetitive, isolated jobs, no routine - aka ‘The Finishers’.
• 10 workers - control group, high control/low risk - cleaners/maintenance workers.

Question 23

What was the method in Johansson?

Answer 23

• Quasi experiment
• Independent measures design
• DV - stress levels measures using psychological and physiological measures

Question 24

What was the procedure of Johansson?

Answer 24

• Each participant asked to give daily urine sample arrival and 4 other times throughout day to measure adrenaline levels.
• Body temp measured.
• Self-report to say how much nicotine/caffeine they’ve had.
• Asked about emotions and feeling.

Question 25

What were the results of Johansson?

Answer 25

• High risk/low control group had adrenaline levels twice as high as their baseline measurements. Also higher than control group.
• Finishers had illnesses such as headaches and felt more rushed and irritated than control group.

Question 26

What is the conclusion of Johansson?

Answer 26

Study suggests the more responsibility (workload) the higher the intensity and more repetitive (lack of control), the more stressed they feel. Individual differences not measured.

Question 27

Evaluation of Johansson study?

Answer 27

• Physiological measures - accurate, universal measurement of stress.
• Generalisability - only male workers
• High ecological validity - in natural setting, however samples would’ve been odd.
• Self-report - socially desirable answers.