Health, Stress, and Coping

Reporters:Paul Symon Alonzo

Joseph Hector GalangGeanne Flores

February 26, 2013

Main Reference: General Psychology for Filipino College Students

Edited by Lota A. Teh and Ma. Elizabeth J. Macapagal

Health and Psychology Health Psychology Biopsychosocial model of health Focus: AIDS in the Philippines

Stress and stressors. General Adaptation Syndrome

Coping with Stress

Overview:

Health psychology

As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is “the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.”

Health

The branch of psychology concerned with individual’s behaviors and lifestyles affecting a person’s health and illness.

Uses psychological processes to help improve the physical outcomes of individuals.

In general, health psychology is concerned with the role of cognitive, affective, behavior, and social factors affecting health illness.

Health Psychology

Central to linking the mind (realm of psychology) and the body (realm of biology) in understanding illness.

The shift to Biopsychosocial model of Health

Focus: AIDS in the Philippines

As of December 2012:Source: Philippine National AIDS Council

http://www.pnac.org.ph/uploads/documents/publications/NEC_HIV_Dec-AIDSreg2012.pdf

Social factors: Thriving commercial sex industry Failure to use condoms especially in paid sex.

Sexual cultural norms “Embarrassment, from a social psychological perspective (e.g.,

Dahl, Gorn& Weinberg, 1998), can occur when a situation poses a dilemma between a publicly observable behavior (e.g., buying condoms at a drugstore) and apprehension about negative social evaluation by others (e.g., disapproving judgments by others, like people in line at the counter or even imaginedothers not physically present like one’s parents). ”(Manalastas, 2009)

Focus: AIDS in the Philippines

Increase in casual sex among the youth.

Methamphetamine use was strongly associated with behavioral risk factors for HIV infection. (US Center for Disease Control)

Focus: AIDS in the Philippines

Stress and Stressors

Stress

Term used to describe the physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to events that are appraised as threatening or challenging.

Stressors

Stress-causing events May come from within a person or

from an external source, and ranges from mild to severe.

Kinds of stressors

Distress Eustress

External events that can cause stress

CatastrophesAcute Stress Disorder and Post-

Traumatic Stress Disorder Major Life Changes Hassles

Measuring Stress Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

Measuring Stress

College Undergraduate Stress Scale

Psychological Factors

Pressure Uncontrollability Frustration Conflict

Pressure

Happens when…There are urgent demands for a

person’s behavior coming from an outside source.

Uncontrollabillity

Depends on the degree pf control a person has over a situationThe lesser the control, the greater the

stress.

Frustration

Occurs when people are blocked or prevented from achieving a desired goal or fulfilling a perceived need.External FrustrationInternal/Personal Frustration

Frustration

Responses to frustrationPersistence

• Continuation of efforts to get around whatever is causing the frustration.

Aggression• Actions meant to harm or destroy

• Displaced aggression

Frustration

Occurs when people are blocked or prevented from achieving a desired goal or fulfilling a perceived need.External FrustrationInternal/Personal Frustration

Conflict

Approach-Approach ConflictInvolves choosing between two

desirable goals. Also a “win-win” situation.

Avoidance-Avoidance ConflictInvolves choosing between two or

more unpleasant goals.

Conflict

Approach-Avoidance ConflictInvolves only one goal or event, which

may have both positive and negative aspects

Multiple Approach-Avoidance ConflictInvolves multiple goals that have both

positive and negative elements.

General Adaptation Syndrome

The General Adaptation Syndrome (or GAS) describes the body's short and long-term emotional and physical effects of stress.

What is the General Adaptation Syndrome?

Introduced by Hans Selye in 1936. Hans Selye is considered as the founding father of stress research.

He conducted a research involving rats in which he injected various extracts from the glands of the body.

The rats exhibited the same symptoms. He believed at first that he discovered a new

hormone.

GAS: A Brief History

However, after further tests using other substances and methods such as injecting formaldehyde, cutting the rats’ spinal cord, exposure to cold and forced exercise, the results were still the same.

The predictable sequence he observed on the rats is now what we call the General Adaptation Syndrome.

GAS: A Brief History

• Alarm phase

• Stage of resistance

• Exhaustion stage.

Three Stage Reaction

In the alarm phase you enter a heightened psychological and physiological arousal, known as the fight or flight response.

Stress hormones are released into the bloodstream. Adrenaline increases muscle tension, heart rate, and

causes a number of other physical effects of stress. You are now immediately equipped with enough

energy to handle it. You are more focused and alert!

The alarm phase of the general adaptation syndrome

The mind and the body attempt to adapt to the cause of stress.

Also known as the adaptation phase. Homeostasis begins restoring balance and a period of

recovery for repair and renewal takes place. Body remains alert (at a lower level) but continues

the normal functions. Stress hormone levels may return to normal but you

may have reduced defenses and adaptive energy left.

The resistance phase of the general adaptation syndrome

Exhaustion sets in. Stress has generally occurred for some time

and at this point, resistance can drop off and the activity returns to the point before the emergency.

Characterized by issues such as burnout and exhaustion.

Body’s immune system that fights off disease and infection is weakened.

The exhaustion phase of the general adaptation syndrome

Chronic stress can damage nerve cells in tissues and organs. Particularly vulnerable is the hippocampus section of the brain. Thinking and memory are likely to become impaired, with tendency toward anxiety and depression.

The exhaustion phase of the general adaptation syndrome

Coping

Coping

“The process of managing external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person.” By Lazarus and Folkman (1984)

Basically…

Coping is anything we do to deal with stress!

Coping is divided into two basic types:

• Problem-focused Coping

• Emotion-focused Coping

Problem-Focused Coping

Problem-Focused strategies includes:Defining the problem.Generating the alternative

solutions.Weighing those solutions.Implementing the selected

alternative.

Emotion-Focused Coping

- Means concentrating on alleviating the emotions associated with the stressful situatione.

- Especially when the situation is beyond one’s control.

This involves cognitive strategies, some behavioral strategies to cope with negative feelings are exercise, use of alcohol, drugs, releasing anger and seeking emotional support from friends.(Atkinson et al., 1996)

Defense Mechanism

1. Repression2. Rationalization3. Projection4. Intelectualization5. Denial6. Displacement

Positive Thinking

Religion

Stress Management Programs

Culture related to Stress and coping

What people find stressful and how they respond to stress is partly patterned by culture (Western,1996)

1. Cultural context shapes the types of stressors we experience.

2. Culture may affect how we appraise the stressfulness of a given event.

3. Culture affects our individual choice of coping strategy.

4. Culture provide different institutional mechanisms for coping with stress.