SOSC1960

Discovering Mind and Behavior

Lecture 11
Health Psychology

Overview
Stress
Types of stress
Stress and health

Coping with stress

What is Stress?
Stress
a negative experience accompanied by
physiological, cognitive, emotional and
behavioral changes, directed either toward
altering the stressful event or accommodating to
its effects

Stressors
Any factors that induce stress

cataclysmic
_________________
events
Strong stressors that occur suddenly, affecting
many people at once
E.g., natural disaster, terrorist attack,
epidemic

person
_______________
Stressors

al
Major life events E.g. the death of a family
member, that have immediate consequences
that generally fade with time

backgroun
______________
stressors (Daily hassles)
d
Everyday annoyances, e.g. traffic jam, doing
household chores, making small decisions
Cause minor irritations and may have longterm ill effects if they continue or are
compounded by other stressful events

Produce psychological distress, reports of physical

symptoms and enhanced use of health care
services

Chamberlain & Zika (1990)

Second-hand stress
It can be as contagious as cold!
The people most likely to cause you
secondhand stress are those closest to you
You are passive

10

How stressful are you?

11

Age

Mean (SD)

Gender

Mean (SD)

18-29

14.2 (6.2)

Male

12.1 (5.9)

30-44

13.0 (6.2)

Female

13.7 (6.6)

45-54

12.6 (6.1)

55-64

11.9 (6.9)

65 & over

12.0 (6.3)
ruminrou
m

12

Consequences of
stress

13

Physiological responses to stress

Hormone secretions by the adrenal glands,
producing an emergency reaction in which the
body prepares to defend itself through
activation of the sympathetic nervous system

14

In times of stress, the

brain sends signals along
two pathways.
The pathway through the
autonomic nervous system
controls the release of
catecholamines (from the
adrenal medulla) that
mobilize the body for
action.
The pathway through thte
pituitary gland (the
master gland) and the
endocrine system controls
the secretion of
corticosteroids (from the
adrenal cortex) that
increase energy.

15

Physiological responses to stress

In the short-term, these responses may be
adaptive, allowing more effective coping with
the stress
continue
But _______________
exposure to stress
results ind the decline of the bodys overall
immune functioning due to the constant
secretion of stress-related hormones

16

Selyes General Adaptation Syndrome

Alarm stage
Become aware of the presence of a stressor
Mobilization of the body

Resistance stage

Attempts to cope with the threats and restore

equilibrium
Exhaustion stage

Depletion of resources as the individual fails to

overcome the threat
Prolonged or repeated stress results in diseases
17

18

Immunosuppressive effect
Prolonged secretion of stress-related
hormones would suppress immunal activity
Kiecolt-Glaser et al. (1984)
1 month before examinations vs. first day of
examinations
Reduced immunal activity found

White blood cells (lymphocytes)

19

Participants were divided into high-stress and low-stress groups, based

on their self-report. They were then given nasal drops that contained
respiratory virus or a harmless solution, and were followed 6 days to see
whether they developed a viral infection or cold symptoms. High-stress
participants more likely developed colds than low-stress subjects. This is
true even controlled statistically for variations in personality and health
20
practices (exercise, diet, sleep, alcohol consumption).
Cohen, Tyrrell & Smith (1993)

psychophysiologic
______________________
disorders

al
Medical problems influenced by an interaction
of psychological, emotional, and physical
difficulties

21

22

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

(PTSD)
A long-term reaction to an extremely
stressful event
Prevalence: 2-8%
More common among females
Associated with heavy use of alcohol
and/or drugs

23

Diagnostic Criteria of PTSD

Exposure to a traumatic event
an event that involved actual or
threatened death or serious injury, or
a threat to the physical integrity of
self or others
Respond with intense fear, helplessness,
or horror
24

PTSD among New Yorkers after

the 9/11 attack

25

PTSD among veterans

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/nation/interactives/walterreed/ptsdv
26
ideos.html

Reexperiencing the traumatic event

Avoidance of stimuli associated with the
event
Numbing of general responses

Restricted range of affect

Diminished interest in significant activities
Sense of a foreshortened future

Hyperarousal

Difficulty sleeping, irritability

Difficulty concentrating
Exaggerated startle response
27

Stress can persist even when

the stressor is no longer
present

28

Coping with Stress

29

30

31

Coping
Efforts to control, reduce, or learn to
tolerate the threats that lead to stress
A dynamic process involving a set of
transactions between the person and
environment over time

32

Coping Strategies
emotion-focus
__________________
coping

ed
Focusing on managing or regulating emotions
in the face of stress
More frequent when people perceive the
circumstances as unchangeable
Example: Positive reframing, acceptance,
venting

33

problem-focused
_________________coping
Focusing on modifying the stressful problem
or source of stress
More often in situations people see as
relatively modifiable
Example: to learn from professionals, friends,
books, and others in the same predicament,
planning and active coping

34

avoida
_____________
coping

nt
Attempts to minimize or repress the stress
Wishful thinking: thinking along the lines of
ones wishes rather than upon the objective
constraints of reality
Direct escape route: drug use, alcohol use,
overeating

35

Better psychological well-being in the

short-run and more effective with shortterm stress
In the long-run, postponement of dealing
with the stressful situation often worsens
the situation

36

For each of the following, indicate whether

it is a problem-focused or emotionfocused method of coping
Looking at failure as having taught you a
useful lesson. problem-focus
Coming up witheda couple of different solutions
to the problem. problem-focus
ed
Seeking help from other people.
depends on what kind of help
friend_listen->emotion
people_help->peoblem
37

External resources: social support

Mutual network of caring, interested others
Knowing that one is loved and cared for,
esteemed/valued and part of a network of
communication and mutual obligations

38

Sources of social support

Social support can come from
Spouses or lovers
Friends and family
Social and community contacts
And pets!

39

Siegel (1990)
People with pets report lower levels of stress
Stressful life events was associated with
increased doctor contacts during the study
year for respondents without pets. This
relationship did not emerge for pet owners.

40

41

Allens (2003) experimental research

Participants: extremely stressful stockbrokers
living alone
Experimental condition: adopt a pet
Control condition: remain living alone

Results: while under stress, the participants who

acquired pets had blood pressure increases that
were less than half the increases of the
participants without pets. Thus, participants with
pets were less likely to develop illness during the
study period.
41

Social support protect people from

developing illness under stress
Cohen et al. (1997): study of common flu
Healthy participants with high levels of stress were
given nasal drops containing viruses
People with larger social networks were less likely
to develop cold, and those who did, had less severe
colds

42

Social skills
The ability to remain relaxed, or at a
tolerable level of anxiety while in social
situations
Listening skills
Paraphrasing

Appropriate self-disclosure
Appropriate eye contact

43

Disclosure

Written or verbal exercises to encourage

emotional expression of feelings and thoughts
Immune functioning is strengthened follow
emotional disclosure
Undergraduates were asked to write about
either a stressful event or a trivial daily event.
Participants who wrote about traumatic events
were less likely to visit the health clinic during
the following 6 months

44

Disclosure allows individuals to cope

better with stress
Gain information about the event or
methods of coping
Elicit emotional support
Organize thoughts and meaning

45

Time management
Establishing priorities
Avoid urgency by careful planning and
preparation
Avoiding time wasters

46

Coveys Time Management Matrix

47

Good Health Habits

Appropriate eating habits
Good exercise habits:
opioid
endogenous _________
s
Avoid substance use

48

Relaxation
physiological
Reducing the bodys __________________
arousal
and the intensity of negative emotions
Calming down through physical exercises,
meditation, or anything you find soothing and
relaxing

49

deep
(1) __________________
exercise
breathing

We tend to breathe shallowly or even hold our

breath when we are feeling anxious without
awareness
Shallow breathing limits your oxygen intake
and adds further stress to your body, creating
a vicious cycle
Deep breathing exercises can break this cycle
by increasing oxygen intake and releasing
muscle tension
50

muscle
(2) Progressive _____________
exercise
relaxation

the tensing and then relaxing each muscle group of

the body, one group at a time

51

guide
(3) ____________________
imagery

a program of directed thoughts and suggestions

that guide your imagination toward a relaxed,
focused state

52

Required Readings
Ch. 14

53