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

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x

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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

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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