U3AOS1B - Stress Flashcards
1
Q
Define stress
A
- A psychological and physiological state of tension
- Occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and/or efforts to cope
2
Q
What is distress?
A
- Form of stress characterised by a negative psychological state
- Also ‘eustress’ (taken out of study design), where it is a positive psychological state
3
Q
Define acute stress
A
- Form of stress characterised by intense psychological and physiological symptoms that are brief in duration
4
Q
Define chronic stress
A
- Form of stress that endures for several months or longer
5
Q
Briefly describe the Yerkes-Dodson law
A
- Low and high arousal is linked to poor performance
- Moderate arousal is linked to optimal performance
6
Q
Define stressor
A
- A stimulus (internal or external) that prompts the stress response
- Can be internal or external
7
Q
Define and list examples of internal stressors
A
- A stimulus from within a person’s body that prompts the stress response
- Hunger, illness (physiological)
- Pessimistic attitude, low self-esteem (psychological)
8
Q
Define and list examples of external stressors
A
- A stimulus from outside of a person’s body that prompts the stress response
- An upcoming exam
- Financial difficulties
- Relationship conflicts
- Being overworked
9
Q
State examples of physiological stress responses
A
- Skin rashes
- Headaches
- Colds/flu
- Heart palpitations
- Heart attack
- Stomach ulcers
10
Q
State examples of psychological stress responses
A
-
Behavioural
- Changes to eating habits
- Changes to sleep
-
Emotional
- Irritability
- Aggression
-
Cognitive
- Decreased concentration
- Memory impairment
11
Q
Explain the fight-flight-freeze response in relation to stress
A
- More prominent during acute stress
- Can include any adaptive response that gives the body all necessary resources to maximise survival
12
Q
Define cortisol
A
- Hormone released in times of stress to aid the body in initiating and maintaining heightened arousal
- Increases glucose to help different bodily functions repair damage done through stress and to help combat the stress itself
- Released after the FFF response to help sustain high levels of energy
- More prominent in chronic stress
- Also has a job in defending the immune system
- If used in stress, cannot protect the immune system
13
Q
How can stress damage the body?
A
- During acute stress adrenaline is released
- If for a prolonged time, adrenaline can stay in the body and eventually cause damage to the stomach (stomach ulcers)
- Cortisol is released to repair damage and sustain heightened arousal
14
Q
Does stress cause disease?
A
- No, but prolonged stress can make individuals more susceptible
15
Q
Describe the HPA axis in relation to stress
A
- Hypothalamus, Pituitary and Adrenal glands
- FFF response activates adrenaline
- Stress continues, therefore the release of adrenaline must continue
- Amygdala senses that there is a threat
- Triggers HPA axis to release cortisol
16
Q
Draw and label each stage of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome model
A
- Graph should include:
- Y-Axis of Resistance levels to stress
- X-axis of Time
- Stages - Alarm (split into shock and counter shock), Resistance and Exhaustion
- Should decrease in shock, increase in counter shock and peak around the middle of Resistance (adrenaline requires assistance from cortisol) until final decrease in Exhaustion
- Line starts at ‘Normal levels of resistance to stress’
17
Q
Describe the elements of General Adaptation Syndrome
A
-
Alarm - Shock
- RTS is below normal
- Body acts as though it is injured, blood pressure and body temperature drop
-
Alarm - Counter shock
- RTS is above normal
- Sympathetic NS is activated
- FFF response is activated
- Adrenaline and cortisol released
-
Resistance
- RTS is above normal
- Cortisol is released and all unnecessary functions are shut down
- Individual appears as though all is normal
-
Exhaustion
- RTS is below normal
- Resources are depleted
- Immune system is left weakened and prolonged release of adrenaline has negative effects on the body (stomach ulcers)
- Individual is susceptible to illness and disease
RTS = Resistance to Stress
18
Q
How does GAS explain stress?
A
- Explains stress from a biological perspective
19
Q
What are the strengths of GAS?
A
- Evidence of relationship between stress and illness
- Highlights predictable pattern that can be measured in individuals
20
Q
What are the weaknesses of GAS?
A
- Research was not conducted on humans (done on rats)
- Does not account for individual differences and psychological factors
21
Q
What is the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping?
A
- Involves encounter between an individual and their external environment
- Stress response depends upon the individual’s interpretation (appraisal) of the stressor and their ability to cope with it
22
Q
Describe the first stage of the TMS
A
-
Primary Appraisal
- Individual’s assessment of the situation
- Benign-Positive, Stressful or Irrelevant
- If stressful, it is deduced as either a harm/loss (past), threat (could happen in future) or challenge
23
Q
Describe the second stage of the TMS
A
-
Secondary Appraisal
- Assessment of available sources for coping
- If not enough - Stress
- If enough - Reduced/ eliminated stress OR reappraisal (go back to primary)
- Internal resources - Character, personality
- External resources - Support networks, money, time
24
Q
Is reappraisal important?
A
- Yes because the consideration of one’s resources can change their perception of a situation
25
Q
What is the equation of the Transactional Model?
A
- Demands > resources = stress
26
Q
How does the TMS explain stress?
A
- Primary and secondary appraisal are dependent on individual factors and the many psychological determinants that may influence this response
- Explains stress as a psychological process
27
Q
What are the strengths of the TMS?
A
- Accounts for individual differences in responses to similar situations
- Responds to changes in an individual’s response through the reappraisal stage
- Explains why differences can occur within an individual’s response to situations
28
Q
What are the weaknesses of the TMS?
A
- Lack of empirical evidence due to the subjective nature of data collected
- Often overlap between primary and secondary appraisal stages
- Less discrete and reoccur more simultaneously than the model suggests
29
Q
Compare GAS to TMS
A
-
Similarities
- Stress over time
- References to stress as a psychobiological process
-
Differences
- GAS - Biological, TMS - Psychological
- GAS - Study done on animals, TMS - Study done on humans
30
Q
What is the relationship between gut microbiota and stress?
A
- Biome - Area for a community of living things
- Gut becomes its own microbiome due to the microbiota that live thre
- Study conducted where microorganisms were removed from gut of animals
- Animals were found to secrete more stress hormone
- Showed anxiety-like behaviours
- Recent research on humans show unhealthy gut microbiota is linked to…
- Higher stress levels
- Anxiety disorders
- Cognitive decline
31
Q
What is the gut-brain axis?
A
- Bi-directional relationship between the gut and the brain through the enteric and central nervous systems
- Messages are relayed between gut and brain through vagus nerve
- Connect cognitive & emotional regions of brain via sensory + motor neurons
- 90% information afferent pathway
- Gut microbiota
- Produce GABA, serotonin + dopamine
- Chronic stress and cortisol levels have an impact
- Type + Variety of microbiota influence responsiveness to stress
- Examples of gut-brain axis in action…
- Bowel inflammation 👅 → Impacts brain function 🧠
- Depression 🧠 → Impacts gut health 👅
🔗- Zietgebers = Blue Light ↑ Cortisol
Important → Bidirectional, link emotional & cognitive parts of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions
32
Q
How can ingesting antibiotics influence stress levels?
A
- Antibiotics are designed to kill bacteria
- This can include both good and bad bacteria in the gut microbiome → Alters its composition
- Results in a change in the balance of hormones released by the enteric nervous system → Higher levels of stress
33
Q
What is an approach strategy?
A
- Coping strategies that directly confront the source of the stress
- Involve behaviours that attempt to decrease the stress by addressing or finding solutions to the problem
- Typically a healthy response
34
Q
What is an avoidance strategy?
A
- Coping strategies that evade the stressor, seeking to indirectly reduce stress
- Involve failing to engage or deal with the stress by protecting oneself from psychological distress
-
Typically maladaptive
- Unhealthy for the individual
- Unhelpful for relieving the source of the stress
35
Q
What can influence which coping strategy we engage in?
A
-
Self-efficacy
- The belief in our own ability and that our actions can influence outcomes
-
Resilience
- Our ability to bounce back following adversity
36
Q
What are the strengths of an approach strategy?
A
- Generally considered more adaptive and effective
- People who rely on approach strategies tend to experience fewer psychological symptoms
- Can function more effectively
37
Q
What are the weaknesses of an approach strategy?
A
- In short term, they may increase stress levels while the individual is directly engaged with the stressor and its causes
- May require a lot of energy to focus and deal with the stressor
- Cause them to neglect other aspects of their lives
38
Q
What are the strengths of an avoidance strategy?
A
- Appropriate in a situation where nothing can be done
- Avoiding unchangeable stressor → Adaptive
- Allows you to conserve energy for other stressors that can be changed
- More effective in short term
39
Q
What are the weaknesses of an avoidance strategy?
A
- Tend to be maladaptive
- Excessive reliance associated with negative consequences
- Tend to only be helpful in short term
- Use in long-term can prevent people from responding to stressors in constructive ways
- Use can be detrimental when action is needed
40
Q
What is context-specific effectiveness?
A
- When the coping strategy used is appropriate for the unique demands of the stressor
41
Q
What is coping flexibility?
A
- The ability to adjust or change one’s coping strategies depending on the unique and changing demands of a stressor
- High levels are associated with a lower incidence of mental illness and a higher incidence of positive outcomes
