Stress Lesson 5

Starter On your table you will find a domino. On one end of the domino is a question/ start of a statement for someone else to answer. On the other end of the domino is a response to someone else’s question. In a couple of minutes the person with the ‘start’ domino will ask a question. It’s a race against the clock to see if you can get a continuous chain of correct answers.

Learning Objectives 1) To understand the way that stress can cause illness and influence the immune system. Success Criteria 1) Complete page 11 of your booklet. 2) Work as part of a team to analyse stressful scenarios for their effect on the immune system. 3) Create a model answer for a 12 mark question.  Challenge Criteria Draw an outline of the human body and label it with the effects that stress can have on the immune system.

Stress and the immune system The immune system protects the body from diseases. There is differing evidence over whether stress enhances or decreases immune cell function. Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcO UBi6s

Acute Stress: Exams F C P C A Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1984) AIM: To find out whether short-term stressors have an effect on medical students’ immune system. PROCEDURE: Blood samples were taken one month before (low stress) and during the exam period (high stress). Immune system functioning was measured using NK (natural killer) cell activity in the blood samples which protect against viruses and cancer. FINDINGS: NK cell activity was significantly reduced during the exam period. CONCLUSION: In the short-term, stressors reduce the immune system. Let’s read over the detailed factsheet of the study.

Chronic Stress: Relationships Kiecolt-Glaser et al also investigated chronic stress and looked at the impact this type of stress would have on wound healing. Complete the information on page 9 about the two studies conducted in 1987 and 2005. Use page 136-137 of the textbook.

Chronic Stress: Relationships Kiecolt-Glaser et al (2005) Tested the impact of interpersonal conflict on wound healing. Blister wounds on the arms of married couples healed more slowly after conflicting discussions, rather than supportive. Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1987) Compared separated women to married controls. They found poorer immune system functioning in those who had separated within the last year.

Marital Conflict Malarkey et al. (1994) asked 90 newlywed couples to discuss marital issues in a lab for a 24 hour period. Issues of marital conflict (e.g. finances) lead to increased adrenaline and noradrenaline which could result in poorer immune functioning. If this was at home, the effects could be greater.

AO2 Evaluation of stress-related illness and the immune system

Can stress enhance the immune system? Evans et al (1994) looked at one antibody (slgA). This is the antibody which coats the mouth, lungs, and stomach with mucous to protect against infection PROCEDURE: Students gave talks to other students (mild, but acute stress). FINDINGS: The students had an increase in slgA – so they were more protected CONCLUSION: So stress may enhance the efficiency of the immune system to short-term stressors, but for chronic stressors the immune system is less efficient.

Evaluation Segerstrom and Miller (2004) Lazarus (1992) Meta analysis of 293 studies over 30 years and found: Short-term stressors boost the immune system Long-term stressors suppress the immune system The longer the stress the more detrimental the effects Lazarus (1992) Three reasons why it is difficult to find a relationship between stress and illness: Health is affected by so many factors (diet, lifestyle etc) It is difficult to measure the effects of stress on health as it is stable and slow-reacting To do a long-term study would be very expensive and impractical

Meta-Analysis Stress and illness, not a simple relationship… Make some notes about the meta-analysis conducted by Segerstrom and Miller (2004). Read the work of Lazarus (1992) Stress and illness, not a simple relationship…

Activity In groups you will have a mini-whiteboard and pen. A scenario will appear on the board and in your group you have to discuss and then write down how the immune system will respond to the stressor. It is a race to get the correct answer with a prize for the winning team!

Scenario 1 An employee of an electrical company is told that he will have to make a presentation next Monday about the use of greener energy Acute stress: NK cell activity should be significantly reduced (as per Kiecolt-Glaser et al) Increase in slgA (as per Evans et al)

Scenario 2 A young mother has three young children under the age of 4 at home and does not have any support from a partner Chronic stress: poor immune system functioning (as per Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 2005) and possibly reduction in wound healing

Scenario 3 A manager of a supermarket is constantly being threatened with being made unemployed as he does not meet his targets. This has been going on for approximately 10 years. According to Segerstrom and Miller (2004) the effects would be detrimental

Scenario 4 A graduate lives in London and is attempting to go to a job interview. Unfortunately the traffic is terrible and the graduate is running late. The graduate does not get the job. The same things happens when the graduate goes for a second interview. Acute stress: reduced NK cell activity (Kiecolt-Glaser) or improved immunity (Evans et al)

Your own scenario Create your own scenario for the rest of the class to answer!

12 Mark Question Outline and evaluate the impact of stress on the immune system [12] Answer the question above by completing the following grid: AO1 (Outline) AO2 (Evaluate) Acute stress (Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 1984) Stress can enhance the immune system (Evans et al, 1994) Chronic Stress (Kiecolt-Glaser et al, 2005) Differing effects of stress (Segerstrom and Miller, 2004) or reasons why relationships between stress and illness is difficult (Lazurus, 1992)

Learning Objectives 1) To understand the way that stress can cause illness and influence the immune system. Success Criteria 1) Complete page 11 of your booklet. 2) Work as part of a team to analyse stressful scenarios for their effect on the immune system. 3) Create a model answer for a 12 mark question.  Challenge Criteria Draw an outline of the human body and label it with the effects that stress can have on the immune system.