Stress And Coping

Front 1

Stress

Back 1

Widely accepted that stress is a risk factor for a host of health problems
Complex interplay with individual personal and social characteristics, as well as contexts of stress
NOTE: When under chronic stress, you are more likely to pick up illnesses.
EX: border line of being a diabetic, a time of stress may be the factor that sends you into having diabetes

Front 2

The Stress Process Model

Back 2

Focuses on classes of factors as they develop overtime
Stressors – primary independent variables of interest
Thought to increase risk of negative health
Resources – personal and social factors that moderate and buffer the effects of stressors on health
Health outcomes
NOTE: Have to look at all three things to figure out the stress process model

Front 3

Stressors

Back 3

Conditions that challenge or threaten individual’s capacities to respond in ways that preserve and protect personal wellbeing
Categories:
acute
chronic
NOTE: Acute: happens quickly – a spouse dying, a car breaking down causes you stress at a certain point in time Chronic: tendency to occur over time. find out a loved one has cancer- can be long term retirement without financial stability- long term. Significant health impacts come from chronic stress

Front 4

Acute stressors

Back 4

– life events; discrete changes in life patterns
Divorce, entering work force
Onset is identifiable
Duration varies
Length of exposure and impact are time-limited

Front 5

Chronic Stressors

Back 5

Long-term conditions that threaten wellbeing
Minimal research re: duration or extent of effect of duration
As we get older we seem to experience more chronic stress
Older adults are more likely to experience stress related to loss of resources, roles, and relationships [Lynch & George, 2002]
If events are more difficult to cope with, older adults are higher risk of compromised health and wellbeing
NOTE: You do not know when it is going to end, causing it to be more stressful

Front 6

Stress Resources

Back 6

Social Support
Psychological resources [self-esteem]
Coping efforts
NOTE: Feeling that you can handle/cope with problem. If you have had an easy life, these stressors can be more stressful and harder to cope with when they do happen

Front 7

Social Support

Back 7

Tangible and untangible rewards and assistance provided by significant others
Structural components: size of network available
Proportion of family vs. non family
Functional components
Receipt of help (eg: for housework or meals)
Receipt of emotional support
Perceptions of social support adequacy

Front 8

Self-efficacy

Back 8

Perceptions of self to competently handle life challenges
Related to mastery and sense of control
Persons who view self as competent and worthy will respond better to stress
May require less social support
Resources expected to mediate the relationship between stress and illness
NOTE: self-efficacy: if you feel that you cannot do something, then you will not be able to do it. You won’t figure out a way to do it.

Front 9

Coping Efforts

Back 9

Those who effectively cope with stress are less likely to have negative health consequences
Not all response to stress are coping resources
Coping strategies for one stressor may not be effective for others
Some stressors can be “reversed” (EX: getting a job when one is lost)
Some cannot (EX: death of a significant other)
NOTE: some responses aggravate the problem. It may seem like they are coping, but they could be making it worse. Have to look at coping as if it is helping the person or not.

Front 10

Active/problem-focused coping

Back 10

Try to alter the stressor or its consequences
Better for avoiding negative stress outcomes

actively try to fix the problem

Front 11

Emotion-focused coping

Back 11

Try to make self feel better, despite the stressor
May not avoid negative health outcomes
Positive comparisons
Avoidance coping

not as effective. Not making the problem go away. Trying to find the best in the problem. EX: not enough money for food, “I don’t need food right now”

Front 12

Some stressors occur more frequently in older age and contribute to declining health

Back 12

Widowhood, caregiver

Front 13

Most Negative stress effects

Back 13

Depression, psychological distress, physical health, disability, mortality

Front 14

Immune system suppression

Back 14

Can last for up to a year after the stress is removed
Active coping strategies are best for higher intensity stress situation; however avoidance strategies can be better in low stress situations
Depression

Front 15

Social Support

Back 15

Depressed persons rate social network more negatively than non-depressed persons
Links between depression and subsequent declines in social support
Instrumental help (assistance) is more important for physical distress
NOTE: Individuals need to know that there is someone that they can talk to, so that they don’t have as many stress related problems. Have a tendency to lose support because of repeated actions. Important to have someone to help with physical distress. Having problems getting up the stairs. Helping to accommodate things to help physical problem.

Front 16

Psychological resources

Back 16

Look at stress, psychological resources, and health on multiple occasions over a longer period of time

Front 17

Coping efforts

Back 17

More effective/active coping strategies yield less negative health consequences
NOTE: Have to look at goal and resources the person has had in the past. Important to consider who the person was and what they had learned. Coping efforts example: heat goes out, have to find number to call and schedule appointment. Some people will wait until someone calls them or stops over to ask how to solve the problem. Passive: waiting for someone to fix the problem for you.