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Stress
Outline
• Definition and measurement• Stress events and reactions
– body, behavior, emotion, and cognition
• Disorders• Stress mediators• Stress immunity links• Health
Stress Definitions
• Coping process triggered by an event
• Stressors are environmental events (either objectively “good” or “bad”)
• Stress reactions are the physical, psychological, and behavioral responses
Stress Process
Psychological Stressors
• event forces a person to change or adapt
• Categories:– Catastrophic events– Life changes and strains– Chronic stressors– Daily hassles
Measuring Stress
• Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)– life change units measured– such as, marriage, divorce, job loss
• Life Experiences Survey (LES)– perceptions of event critical
• Interviews and Daily Dairies
Stress Responses
Selye’s GeneralAdaptation Syndrome
SAM and HPA Systems
HPA
Other Responses to Stress
• Behavioral Responses– jumpiness, shaky voice, self-medication with alcohol
• Emotional– grumpy, fatigued, depressed
• Cognitive– ruminative thinking– catastrophizing– other processes
• problem-solving errors• impaired decision making
A story of two frogs...Once upon a time, there was a frog
who was dropped into a pot of hot water. Feeling the intense heat, she immediately jumped out and saved her life (“good stress”).
But, there was another frog who was put into a pot of cold water which was set on a burner over low heat. One degree at a time the temperature increased, but the frog became accustomed to the heat, stayed in the pot and eventually was boiled (“bad stress”).
Some Classic Stress Disorders
• Burnout/Depression/Anxiety
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a prime example– trauma induced anxiety disorder
• soldiers• childhood sexual abuse
PTSD
• Determined by:– Perception of the
Situation– Inability to Cope
• Result:– Effects on general state
of physical and mental health
PTSD Symptoms• Re-experiencing
– intrusive flashbacks – nightmares
• Avoidance and numbing– avoiding reminders – inability to remember important aspects of the trauma – loss of interest in activities and life in general – feeling detached from others and emotionally numb – sense of a limited future (you don’t expect to live)
• Symptoms of PTSD: anxiety and arousal– difficulty falling or staying asleep – irritability – difficulty concentrating – hypervigilance (constant “red alert”) – feeling jumpy and easily startled
Effects on Hippocampus
• Cell death in hippocampus
• Small hippocampus = more vulnerable
Stress Mediators
How Stressors Are Perceived
• Cognitive appraisal of the stressor
• Influence of cognitive factors weakens somewhat as stressors become more severe– Lazarus et al. (1965)
Cognitive Appraisal
Cognitive Influences
Prediction and Control
• predictable versus unpredictable– intense and relatively short period, especially
• controllable versus uncontrollable– perception of control reduces stress
Coping Resourcesand Coping Methods
• Resources – money– time
• Methods – problem-focused– emotion-focused
Social Support
• quantity
• quality
• situation– right type
Stress, Blood Pressure, and Support
Stress and Personality
• “Disease-prone” personalities tend to:– stress viewed as long-term, catastrophic
threats, brought on by self.– pessimistic about ability to overcome
• “Stress-hardy” or “disease-resistant”– stress is short term – dispositional optimism (adds four years to life)
Stress and Gender
• Males tend to get angry and/or avoid stressors– “fight-or-flight” pattern.
• Females are more likely to help and get help– “tend and befriend” style.
Stress and Immunity
Immune System
• Nonspecific– high temperature– macrophages (“big
eaters”)
• Specific– Lymphocytes
(“memory cells”)• T-cells• B-cells
Acute or “Good” Stress
• Increased traffic of lymphocytes and macrophages
• related adrenal secretion (SAM)• enhances responses for which there is an
immunologic memory– beneficial for cancer tumour cell, but pathologic
for autoimmune or allergic responses
Chronic or “Bad” Stress
• Reduced traffic of lymphocytes and macrophages
• Associated with increased HPA activity • increased severity of many common illnesses
Stress and Cardiovascular System
• Repeated activation of “fight or flight” linked to coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke.
• Physical reactions depend partly on one’s personality (hostility)
Healthy Behavior
Goals of Health Psychology
• Encourage people control risk factors
• Understand the role played by stress in physical health and illness.
Health-Endangering Behaviors
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Unsafe Sex
x
x
x
Sleep
Encouraging Healthy Behavior
• Factors:– feel personal threat– understanding of seriousness of the illness– belief that a particular practice will reduce the
threat– cost less than benefit
Stages of Readiness
• Precontemplation
• Contemplation
• Preparation
• Action
• Maintenance
Reducing Stress
Coping Strategies
• Cognitive coping strategies– cognitive restructuring
• Emotional coping strategies
• Behavioral coping strategies
• Physical coping strategies– progressive relaxation training
Rational Emotive Thinking(Albert Ellis)
ActivatingEvent
Beliefs(self talk)
Consequences
AA BB CC
The ABC’s of Rational Emotive Thinking!!!
Thinking becomes a threat if...
AA
BB
CC
(-) recall
doubt
helpless
Irrational Thinking
• Perfectionist thinking
• Overgeneralization
• Disqualifying the positive
• Jumping to conclusions
• Magnifying / Minimizing
• Emotional Reasoning
• Shouldaholism / Mustrabation
Thinking creates a solution if...
AA
BB
CC
(+) recall
affirmation
opportunity
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