Week Five - Stress & Coping Flashcards
What is the Generalised Adaptation Syndrome?
The unspecific reaction of the body to stressors in the environment.
Consists of 3 stages; alarm reaction, resistance and exhaustion phase
What is the HPA?
The system that controls the stress response; hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal cortex
What does the Amygdala do in relation to stress?
Detects things that are dangerous in the environment
What does the Prefrontal cortex do in relation to stress?
Regulates stress response by making things seem less scary
What does the pituitary gland do in response to stress?
Releases hormones that tell the adrenal gland to release cortisol
What cortisol do in relation to stress?
Travels through the blood and tells other body parts to wake up
What occurs during the alarm reaction stage (GAS)
Can cause downturn in bodily defences and blood pressure (cannot be maintained for long periods of time)
What occurs in the resistance stage (GAS)
body tries to adapt to a stressor but arousal is still higher than normal
Why does the stage of exhaustion occur (GAS)?
Exhaustion occurs if the resistance stage lasts too long resulting in a depletion of bodily resources and energy and ability to resist stress declines and disease development is increased
What are the 2 types of stress?
Acute and chronic
What is acute stress?
Short lived such as exams
What is chronic stress?
Long lived stress e.g., occupational stress
What are the 4 common overarching responses to stress
mind
body
emotions
behaviour
What is the relationship between stress and immune system?
Stress & negative emotions can dysregulate the immune response by disturbing the interplay among the CNS, endocrine system and the IS
What behavioural mediators of the relationship between stress and immunity exist?
Link between stress & immunity may be mediated by specific health behaviours, psychosocial factors
being in troubled relos
negative or competitive social interactions
feeling lonely
getting good sleep
diet
exercise
Explain the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping
Stress is a product of a transaction between a person and his/her environment.
Consists of primary and secondary appraisal
What is a Primary Appraisal & Secondary Appraisal (TTSC)
Where the person decides i the situation is benign, stressful or irrelevant
- either ignores or continues to secondary appraisal
Considered stressful and then coping mechanisms are introduced .. ‘do i have the resources to cope’
What factors influence appraisal?
iminent events (happening soon e.g., results)
unexpected time (e.g., death)
unexpected events
ambiguous
risk or harmful events
undesirable events
no control events
life changing events
What is Coping?
A dynamic process of managing demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding their resources
What are 2 common predictors of psychological adjustment and quality of life?
coping and social support
Cohen & Lazarus described 5 main coping tasks. What are they?
Reducing harmful external conditions
Tolerating or adjusting to negative events
Maintaining positive self-image
Maintaining emotional equilibrium and decreasing emotional stress
Maintaining a satisfactory relationship with the environment and others
What are the 2 main classes of coping defined by Lazarus?
Emotion-Focused Coping
Problem-Focused Coping
What is Problem Focused C?
Efforts or strategies to change the nature or aspect of a problem situation
- asking a lecturer for an extension
- learning new skills to cope
What is Emotion Focused C?
Strategies aimed to regulate emotions experienced because of the stressful event
- crying
- sharing feelings
Explain Active (monitor) Vs Passive Coping (blunting)
Active = movement toward dealing with stressor
Passive = Avoiding or minimising threat
Why is coping self-regulation an important skill?
It allows the reflection on effectiveness and allows the modification or adjustment to ways of coping
Wat coping strategies result in increased poorer adjustment and distress?
persistent avoidant
passive
helpless coping
To be effective, what does coping have to be?
Amenable to change
When is EFC more adaptive?
When the control over the stressor is loe (i.e., cancer)
When is PFC more adaptive?
When there is control over the stressor
What are some positive responses to illness?
benefit finding
post trauma growth
satisfaction with life
What are 5 factors moderating stress?
coping behaviours aspects of personality aspects of individual cognitions aspects of emotion social support
What is the correlation between personality and stress/illness?
Personality can be predictive of disease onset
Persoanlity can change as a s result of illness
Personality can promote unhealthy behaviour
Personality may influence illness progression or outcome because it influences coping responses
What role can an optimistic personality play in stress?
promotes active and persistent coping mechanisms
helps people use resources effectively
What is Social Support?
The presence of others in whom one can confide and from whom one can expect help and concern
What are the 3 types of social support? Define them
Informational: Informs knowledge and coping
Instrumental: Practical help and assistance
Emotional: Aids cognitive and emotion focused coping
What are the aspects of social support?
Availability vs use of social support
network size
satisfaction with perceived SS
What is the Direct Effects Hypothesis?
Proposes SS us generally beneficial during non-stressful times as well as highly stressful - makes people less susceptible to stress in the first place
What is the Buffering Hypothesis?
Proposes that the health benefits and mental health benefits of SS are chiefly evident during periods of high stress only - when there is little stress, SS may have few benefits
SS protects the person against high stress consequences by influencing appraisals or modifying coping response
Who is at a greater risk of distress, health risks etc?
Chronically shy people and those who anticipate rejection
What can SS do?
lower likelihood of illness
speeds recovery
reduces risk of death from illness
High quality relationships are associated with what?
lower mortality rates
How can SS adversely influence health?
If the peer group engages in health-compromising behaviours
Social support can hinder coping e.g., co-rumination
Who needs the most SS?
shy and introverted
depressed or anxious
mistrustful people
What is Dyadic Coping?
When there are mutual influences on coping processes in close relationships
The best type of SS is?
Those that matches the stressor
