Chapter 13 Stress, Coping, And Health

Front 1

Biopsychosocial model

Back 1

Holds that physical illness is caused by a complex interaction of biological, psychological (like stress!), and sociocultural factors

Front 2

Stress

Back 2

Any circumstances that threaten or are perceived to threaten one's well-being and tax one's coping abilities

Front 3

What can stress vary by?

Back 3

1. Type (physical, emotional, economical, interpersonal)
2. Intensity ("Minor" vs. "Major" stressors)
3. Valence (stress can occur with positive events, too!)
4. Duration (Temporary vs. Prolonged)
5. Individual (people perceive/interpret events differently)

Front 4

Primary appraisal

Back 4

Initial evaluation of whether an event is (1) irrelevant to you, (2) relevant but not threatening, or (3) stressful

Front 5

Secondary appraisal

Back 5

An evaluation of your coping resources and options for dealing with the stress

Front 6

What are the 4 principal types of stress?

Back 6

Frustration, Conflict, Change, and Pressure

Front 7

Frustration

Back 7

Is experienced whenever the pursuit of some goal is thwarted

Front 8

Conflict

Back 8

Occurs when two or more incompatible motivations or behavioral impulses complete for expression

Front 9

Approach - approach conflict

Back 9

A choice must be made between two attractive goals (Pizza vs. Spaghetti/ Blue sweater vs. Gray jacket)

Front 10

Avoidance - avoidance conflict

Back 10

A choice must be made between two unattractive goals
(Unemployment vs. Degrading job/ Painful backache vs. Surgery)

Front 11

Approach - avoidance conflict

Back 11

A choice must be made about whether to pursue a single goal that has both attractive and unattractive aspects
(Date an attractive person vs. Rejection)

Front 12

Life changes

Back 12

Any noticeable alterations in one's living circumstances that require readjustment

Front 13

Pressure

Back 13

Involves expectations or demands that one behave in a certain way
- turned out to be more strongly related to measures of mental health
- is self-imposed

Front 14

What are the 3 levels of a person's reaction to stress?

Back 14

Emotional, Physiological, and Behavioral

Front 15

Positive Emotions

Back 15

They help people bonce back from difficulties associated with stress
- They are better with problem-solving and physical health

Front 16

General adaptation syndrome

Back 16

A model of the body's stress response, consisting of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
1: recognizes threat
2. physiological changes stabilize as coping efforts work
3.body's resources are limited

Front 17

Pathway which brain sends signals to endocrine system

Back 17

Autonomic Nervous System (sympathetic) --> Heart rate, perspiration, blood pressure OR
Hypothalamus --> Pituitary gland --> Adrenal Axis (HPA) --> ACTH --> Cortisol

Front 18

Coping

Back 18

Refers to efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate the demands created by stress
- can either be helpful or maladaptive

Front 19

What are types of coping?

Back 19

- Giving up and blaming oneself
- Striking out at others
- Indulging oneself
- Defensive coping
- Constructive coping

Front 20

Learned helpfulness

Back 20

Passive behavior produced by exposure to unavoidable aversive events
(Giving up and Blaming Oneself)

Front 21

Aggression

Back 21

Any behavior that is intended to hurt someone, either physically or verbally
(Striking out at others)

Front 22

Catharsis

Back 22

Release of emotional tension
(Striking out at others)

Front 23

Defense Mechanisms

Back 23

Largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and guilt
(Defensive coping)

Front 24

Constructive coping

Back 24

Relatively healthful efforts that people make to deal with stressful events
- Involves confronting problems directly
- Based on reasonably realistic appraisals of your stress and coping resources
- Involves learning to recognize and inhibit potential disruptive emotional reactions to stress
- Involves making efforts to ensure that your body is not vulnerable to potentially damages effects of stress
(Constructive coping)

Front 25

What effect does stress have on health?

Back 25

High blood pressure, ulcers, asthma, and headaches
Stress --> Illness

Front 26

Type A personality

Back 26

Includes three elements: (1) a strong-competitive orientation, (2) impatience and time urgency, and (3) anger and hostility
- Ambitious, hard-working perfectionists

Front 27

Type B personality

Back 27

Marked by relatively relaxed, patient, easygoing, amicable behavior
- Les hurried, less competitive, and less easily angered than Type A's

Front 28

Immune response

Back 28

Body's defensive reaction to invasion by bacteria, viral agents, or other foreign substances
- Stress --> Immune Response --> Illness

Front 29

What happens if the Immune response responses too weakly?

Back 29

Less able to resist infection, heal more slowly, and more vulnerable to colds

Front 30

What is a major factor in the development of heart disease?

Back 30

Inflammation
- Stress (Chronic Stress) --> Inflammation (Chronic Inflammation) --> Illness (Heart disease/ depression

Front 31

Social support

Back 31

Various types of aid and emotional sustenance provided by member's of one's social networks
Strong social support = greater immune response

Front 32

Optimism

Back 32

General tendency to expect good outcomes
- Tend to seek social support
- Conscientiousness fosters better health habits

Front 33

What are positive effects of stress?

Back 33

Promotes personal growth and self improvement

Front 34

What are some health-impairing behaviors?

Back 34

Smoking, Alcohol and drug use, Lack of exercise, and behavior and HIV/AIDS

Front 35

How can we intervene?

Back 35

- Target coping behaviors (decrease negative coping/ maladaptive health behaviors and replace with constructive coping)
- Increase social support
- Increase sense of control
- Increase medical compliance