Stress, Coping and Health

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How Stressed are you?

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressed do you feel right now?

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressed would you say you normally feel?

• Of the following, which most describes you?

Biopsychosocial Model

This model holds that you must look at the biological, psychological and sociocultural factors that influence a person’s behavior.

You don’t want to look at these factors separately, but how they interact with each other.

- Contextualism

Health Psychology

We tend to focus on many negatives in psychology. This area also focuses on how we can stay healthy. Hmmm……

How would you propose that we do this?

Answer…..

Study people who are healthy physically and psychologically and find out what their life is like – genetics, family, friends, etc.

Doesn’t this sound SOOOO simplistic?

StressIt is not the events that happen to us that cause us

stress, but how we perceive those events.

How do YOU appraise stress? Take a moment to reflect

Think about it….. Why is it that when a teacher assigns a paper/project there are different reactions in the room?

Observe your fellow peers next time for this…

ANY OF THIS LOOK FAMILIAR?

Which do you think affects us the most?

• 1. Daily Stress

That which

we live with on

a day-to-day

basis

• 2. Significant Changes

That is, moving,

divorce, going to

college

• 3. Catastrophes

That which takes us by surprise

DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

Sounds easy – huh?

In fact, research demonstrates that people suffer more over small events that large events.

WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?

Answer….

• Because they are often cumulative AND ongoing

• Think about stresses in your life – e.g., schoolwork. Just when you think you have gotten your work out of the way, that psych teacher of yours starts giving reading check quizzes

Frustration

Simply put, you can’t reach a goal that you would like to reach.

The frustration-aggression hypothesis states that frustration will ultimately lead to aggression, either overt aggression or passive-aggressive behavior

Watch for ongoing frustration though!!!

Does this look Familiar?

Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

Alarm-physiological arousal occurs

Resistance-physiological arousal stabilizes

Exhaustion-body begins to shut down

MY FAMILY PICTURE-> ->

Conflict

Conflict is good in that it teaches us about prioritizing and decision-making

Lewin and Miller describe three types-

Approach-ApproachAvoidance-Avoidance Approach-Avoidance

Change

Frustration and stress can sometimes be avoided by obtaining coping skills, however……

Most people HATE change, even if their current situation is horrible – it seems that we sometimes are so afraid of change because of the UNKNOWN!!

SRRSScale

Life Changes – Social Readjustment Rating Scale

Death of a spouse – 100Divorce - 73Marital Separation - 65Jail Term - 63Personal injury or illness- 53Marriage- 47Fired at work- 45Marital reconciliation- 45

SRRS Scale cont’d

Retirement- 45Change in health of family member- 44Pregnancy- 40Sex difficulties- 39Gain of a new family member- 39Business readjustment 39Change in financial state- 38Death of a close friend- 37

SRRS Scale cont’d

Change to a different line of work- 36Change in # of arguments with spouse- 35Mortgage or loan for major purchase-31Foreclosure of mortgage or loan- 30Change in responsibilities at work- 29Son or daughter leaving home- 29Trouble with in-laws- 29Outstanding personal achievement- 28

SRRS Scale cont’d

Wife begins or stops work- 26

Begin or end school- 26

Change in living conditions- 25

Revision of personal habits- 24

Trouble with boss- 23

Change in work hours or conditions- 20

Change in residence- 20

SRRS Scale cont’d

Change in school- 20

Change in recreation- 19

Change in church activities- 19

Change in social activities- 18

Mortgage or load for lesser purchase- 17

Change in sleeping habits- 16

Change in # of family get-togethers- 15

Change in eating habits-15

Vacation-13

Christmas- 12

Minor violations of the law- 11

3 Responses to Stress

1. Emotional Responses

2. Physiological Responses

3. Behavioral Responses

Emotional Responses

Stress and mood are highly correlated according to Caspi study conducted with women. When we are highly stressed, we get into a bad mood.

Helplessness leads to sadness

Common Emotional Responses to Stress

- Annoyance, anger and rage

- Apprehension, anxiety and fear

- Dejection, sadness and grief

WHICH ARE YOU MOST LIKE?

Inverted U Hypothesis

It appears that a small amount of stress is optimal for task completion and awareness, but at a certain level, it becomes disruptive to learning or remembering

Physiological Responses

• Fight-or-flight – sympathetic system is activated

• Parasympathetic system brings system back to homeostasis

Behavioral Responses

• Coping-how we try to reduce or tolerate the demands of our lives

• How do you cope with stress?????

• Aggression-Dollard/frustration-aggression hypothesis

• Passive-Aggressive Responses

Defense Mechanisms

• Denial of Reality

• Fantasy

• Intellectualization-cutting off from emotion

• Undoing-magically trying to atone for actions/thoughts

• Overcompensation

• Displacement

Constructive Coping

Constructive Coping-healthy ways of dealing with stress – can you name some constructive ways of dealing with stress?

- Confront problem directly – really look at your options

- Reasonably appraise your coping resources-what will you do if you cannot do anything????

Negative Effects of Stress

Burnout – physical, mental, emotional exhaustion due to ongoing emotionally demanding situations – like what? Who is most likely to suffer from burnout?

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Effects of Stress on Physical Health

Psychosomatic Diseases-actual physical problems that are caused, in part, by psychological stressors (don’t forget that genetics plays some role in all of this)

Somatoform Disorders-when a person experiences physical symptoms but there is absolutely no organic reason for their symptoms

ARE YOU TYPE A?

Oh c’mon now, you know who you are…

- Strong competitive type- Impatient/time urgency- Anger/hostility/cynicism- Unable to handle other’s mistakes- Likes to do ALL the work

themselves- Workaholics

Which of these characteristics is most associated with heart disease?

Do you find yourself……

Having difficulty restraining yourself from hurrying other’s speech?

Doing more than one thing at a time?

Feeling guilty if you use extra time to relax?

Tending to get involved in a lot of things at one time?

Racing through yellow lights when you drive?

Do you find yourself….

Needing to win in order to get enjoyment out of things?

Needing to move, walk and eat rapidly?

Taking on too many responsibilities?

Getting angry when you have to wait on line?

Having an intense desire to better your position in life and impressing others?

Type A Personalities….

Have greater physiological reactivity in response to stress may cause wear and tear in the cardiovascular system

Exposure to self-imposed stress may be high because competitiveness and time urgency foster pressure, while hostility and anger lead to interpersonal difficulties

Type A Personalities…

Hostility and competitiveness may undermine social support from others that might buffer the effects of stress

Cynicism and impatience might lead to poor health habits, such as a lack of exercise, excessive consumption of convenience foods, or denial of symptoms

Emotional Reactions and Heart Disease

STRESS TAXES THE HEART!!!

DEPRESSION HAS BEEN LINKED TO HEART DISEASE

THE MORAL OF THE STORY…..REALLY EVALUATE YOUR STRESS LEVEL – WHAT IS WORTH STRESSING ABOUT?

Physical Problems – Type A

Associated with…..ColdsUlcersAsthmaHeadachesChronic back painStrokeHeart DiseaseAIDS

By the way……

Stress and lack of sleep deplete your immune system…..

Before you go to college, you may be required (if not ask your doctor about it) to get vaccinated for meningococcal meningitis

If you are a stressed person…..

Stress does not necessarily mean that you will get sick. You need to also have…..

Genetic predispositionExposure to infectious agentsEnvironmental teratogensNutrition/ExerciseAlcohol/Drug use

ARE YOU TYPE B?

You know who you are too…….

Are you –

Relaxed most of the time?

Easygoing?

Amicable?

Adaptable?

How to cope with your stress….

- Social support – this is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Surround yourself with positive people

- Try to be optimistic

- Study by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman demonstrated that people who use a pessimistic explanatory style as someone who blames their problems on personal shortcomings

Physiological responses to stress

• Catecholamines-– Epinephrine (adrenaline)-

produced by adrenal gland

– Norepinephrine (noradrenaline)-produced in brain stem

– Dopamine-released by hypothalamus

Physiological response to stress

• Cortisol-called the ‘stress hormone’ as it is released in larger quantities when a person is stressed

• Problems associated with high stress:

• Impaired cognitive performance • Suppressed thyroid function • Blood sugar imbalances such

as hyperglycemia • Decreased bone density • Decrease in muscle tissue • Higher blood pressure• Lowered immunity and

inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences

• Increased abdominal fat

Some other physiological reactions to stress

The body is initially stimulated by catecholamines, which allow the sympathetic nervous system to activate.

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreted by the pituitary gland, stimulates the adrenal glands. Stimulates the release of corticosteroids – hormones that stimulate the release of fats and proteins to help increase one’s energy during the fight-or-flight response.

Physiological reactions to stress

Glucocorticoids – when people are stressed, these hormones are released which appear to inhibit the ability to recall information.

Those of you who have test anxiety and can’t remember anything, RELAX, it is the chemicals!!!! Really, you need to relax before a test. If you know that looking over your notes increases your anxiety, why do it?

Stress appears to be related to…..

Poor academic functioning

Insomnia

Nightmares

Alcohol/drug abuse

Overall unhappiness

Stress may also play a role in….

Depression

Schizophrenia

Bipolar Disorder

Anxiety Disorders

Eating Disorders

Health-Impairing Behavior

Why do people engage in self-destructive behaviors?

Why do people drink knowing it may destroy their liver?

….Smoke when it can damage their lungs?

….Overeat when it can damage their heart?

Answers…

Bad habits develop over time

Many of these behaviors feel good

People often think it will never happen to them

Think about it…..do you think anyone starts drinking alcohol with the intent of becoming an alcoholic? Does this make sense?

Reactions to illness

Some people don’t like to go to doctor because…

They are afraid of what they may hear

They are afraid that they will look like they are overreactingLack of timeThey don’t see their symptoms as serious

The “Sick Role”

Some people like the “sick role” because it..

Gives them more attention

Reduces their responsibilities

Gets others to treat them differently

Relax and get some……