Stressors In The Environment (biological) Flashcards
stress
The “response we get when the demands of our
environment are greater than the capacity we have to deal with them”
stress induced illnesses
Headaches
High blood pressure (making you prone to heart attacks and strokes)
Ulcers
Weight loss
stressor and the stress reponse
The stressor is any stimulus that requires adjustment or an adaptation so you can deal with it
Stressors can be internal or external
Worry/ anxiety
Noise
Temperature
Overcrowding
We are focusing on the impact of environmental stressors
stressor -> stress -> stress response
biological response to stress
- fight or flight
- Selye General Adaptation Syndrome
fight or flight response
- When faced with stress we need to be able to deal with it (fight or flight)
- The response to stress can be biological: How we deal with stress involves the nervous system and endocrine system
Selye General Adaptation Syndrome response
General adaptation syndrome (GAS) is a description of the process of how your body responds to stress.
three stages involved;
1. alarm stage
2. resistance stage
3. exhaustion stage
three stages involved
alarm stage - percieved stressor + body reacts
resistance stage - adapting to the stressor i.e. muscle aches
exhaustion stage - body’s resources are deploted (run out) = illness
examples of environmental stressors
- Noise
- Crowding
- Poor housing
- Poor neighbourhood
- Traffic
background - noise
Evans Bullinger & Hygge 1998- Children attending schools near airports had higher noradrenaline and higher blood pressure.
Cognitive elements of environmental stressors
(Glass & Singer)
- In 1972 Glass +Singer placed people in noisy environment + either told them they could control noise (with a switch) or they had no control over noise.
- group with control didn’t often use it, but when both groups tested on task afterward, performance of group who had control was significantly better.
- G+S proposed noise is source of stress +
uncontrollable stress leads to feeling of helplessness. Thus, those in group with control could relieve helplessness because of their belief that they could control its cause. - suggests the psychological interpretation of environmental stressors plays important role in determining our reactions to them.
background - noise (Cohen et al 1973)
AIM
- Aim: Investigated if there was a relationship between the floor level a child lived on
and their reading ability.
background - noise (Cohen et al 1973)
SAMPLE
Sample: 54 children living in a New York 32 storey building all attending the same school. Noise levels were lower on the higher floors than the lower floors.
background - noise (Cohen et al 1973)
RESULTS
- Noise level readings (measured in decibels) correlated with the children’s results on the Metropolitan Achievement Tests.
- Cohen also tested the children’s auditory discrimination abilities and found that for 34 children there was significant correlation between floor level and auditory discrimination
background - noise (Cohen et al 1973)
CONCLUSION
- Controlling for socio-economic variables Cohen claimed to have found a significant association between noise levels and reading deficits. Noise levels may then have a detrimental influence on reading ability and so school performance.
aircraft noise
- Previous research shown exposure to high levels of aircraft noise has significant negative effect on general health status.
aim of Black + Black
- study aimed to develop a better understanding of the impacts of aircraft noise on community health and wellbeing by asking two key questions:
1. Is health related quality of life worse in a community chronically exposed to aircraft noise than in a community not exposed?
2. Is long-term aircraft noise exposure associated with elevated blood pressure in adults via noise stress as a mediating factor?
method of Black + Black
A pilot study of 100 individuals of a small suburb south of Sydney Airport, Australia was initially conducted followed before the study.
purpose of conducting pilot studies
- Ensure the studies method is reliable
- Noise stress scale
- Noise sensitivity scale
- Some overlapping questions so removed the repetitive ones
sample of Black + Black
- 1500 individuals
- Exposed to 50 or more experiences of air craft noise above 70 decibels
- 70 decibels begins to interfere with conversation
- Control group= no exposure to aircraft noise matching in soci-economic status.
- South Penrith located in the western suburbs of Sydney (55km from the Airport).
noise measurements
- Measurements of environmental noise were taken according to Australian standards. Noise data were collected at 26 stations around Sydney Airport and at 3 stations in the control area from 7.00 am to 6.00pm on various days from October 2003 to November 2004.
- Twenty-minute samples per hour were measured using a Bruel and Kjaer sound level meter Type 2236.
- Noise measurements during night-time hours had to be avoided due to possible safety concerns for the researcher.
health measurements
- Seven measures were taken:
1. health related quality of life (HRQoL),
2. hypertension condition
3. noise stress
4. noise sensitivity
5. noise annoyance (from 0-10)
6. demographic characteristics
7. confounding factors (e.g. employment, smoking and exercise). - Questionnaires were sent to households in the area. A cover letter explained that the study was one of environmental noise not aircraft noise
demographic results for noise group
704 ppts completed questionaire
- Higher educational qualifications
- Better employment status
- More smokers
- Exercised more
- 37% insulated their homes from noise
demographic results for control group
704 ppts completed questionaire
- 4 years older than Noise group
- More Females
- Higher levels of obesity
- 3% insulated their homes from noise
results - health measurement
- Significantly more noise stress and annoyance found in the noise group
- Noise group scored significantly less on mental health measurements
- Overall lower scores on health measures compared to control groups
further health measurement results
- Significant relationship between health quality and aircraft noise- mean scores of physical functioning, general health, vitality, and mental health of aircraft noise exposure group significantly lower than matched control group. Therefore, HRQoL of aircraft noise exposure group worse than matched control group.
- Hypertension and aircraft noise - Long term exposure to aircraft noise causes noise stress which leads to hypertension.
conclusions
- Close down Sydney Airport
- Reduce aircraft noise level by employing different runway usage and flight paths
- Extend curfew hours to give extra relief from aircraft operations.
strategy 1 - stress inoculation therapy
- a form of CBT. advocates we change the way we think about stress
stage 1 = identify + understand the stressor
stage 2 = helped to learn skills needed to cope
satge 3 = opportunities for them to try it out in a safe environment
strategy 2 - mindfulness
involves focusing on the present situations not past or future or other people
process of concentrating on own breathing at a particular moment + not letting external factors interfere
normally taught in an 8 week with 2-3 hours a week
