Health, Stress, and Coping Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Health, Stress, and Coping Prepared by Krista D. Forrest These slides ©2002 Prentice Hall Psychology Publishing. Chapter 15 ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Health, stress and coping Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Health, stress and coping The physiology of stress. The psychology of stress. Coping with stress. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

The Stress-Illness Mystery Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 The Stress-Illness Mystery Stressors can increase illness when they: severely disrupt a person’s life. are uncontrollable. are chronic (i.e., lasting at least 6 months). ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Stressors and the Body Noise. Bereavement and Loss. Work-Related Problems. Poverty, Powerlessness, and Racism. Figure 12.02 of Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2002). Invitation to Psychology, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Stress and the Common Cold Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Stress and the Common Cold ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

The Physiology of Stress Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 The Physiology of Stress General adaptation syndrome. There are three phases in responding to stressors: Alarm. Resistance. Exhaustion. Goal is to minimize wear and tear on the system. Figure from page 411 of Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2002). Invitation to Psychology, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Current Approaches HPA (Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis) A system activated to energize the body to respond to stressors. The hypothalamus sends chemical messengers to the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland prompts the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol and other hormones. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

The Brain and the Body Under Stress Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 The Brain and the Body Under Stress ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 The Mind-Body Link Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) The study of the relationships among psychology, the nervous and endocrine systems and the immune system. Psychological factors explain why not all people are stressed the same amount by the same things. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

The Psychology of Stress Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 The Psychology of Stress Emotions and illness. Letting grievances go. Explanatory styles. The sense of control. The benefits of control. The limits of control. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Emotions and Illness Hostility and heart disease. Type A Personality: Determined to achieve, sense of time urgency, irritable, respond to threat or challenge very quickly, and impatient with obstacles. Type B Personality: Calmer and less intense. Personality type is less predictive of health problems than is hostility. Proneness to anger is a major risk factor ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Hostility and Heart Disease Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Hostility and Heart Disease Men with highest hostility scores as young medical students had higher rates of heart disease 25 years later. Hostility is more hazardous than a heavy workload. Figure 12.03 of Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2002). Invitation to Psychology, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Depression and Disease Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Depression and Disease Two studies followed 1000 people for many years. Those who had been clinically depressed at the outset were 2-4X more likely to have a heart attack than nondepressed people were. Other research failed to find the link. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Emotional Inhibition Emotional Inhibition: A personality trait involving a tendency to deny feelings of anger, anxiety, or fear; in stressful situations, physiological responses such as heart rate and blood pressure rise sharply. People who display this trait are at greater risk of becoming ill than people who can acknowledge feelings. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Letting Grievances Go Research on confession: divulging private thoughts and feelings that make you ashamed or depressed. Freshman who wrote about their fears reported greater short term homesickness and anxiety. By end of year they had fewer bouts of flu visits to the infirmary. Can also give up thoughts that produce grudges and replace them with different perspectives. Forgiving thoughts. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Explanatory Styles A study of Hall-of-Famer baseball stars showed that those with Optimistic explanatory styles: Lived longer They may have been in better health because optimists: take better care of themselves when sick cope better. draw on friends in hard times. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 The Sense of Control Locus of Control A general expectation about whether the results of your actions are under your own control (internal locus) or beyond your control (external locus). Feelings of control can reduce or even eliminate the relationship between stressors and health. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 The Limits of Control Primary Control (Western Cultures) An effort to modify reality by changing other people, the situation, or events; a “fighting back” philosophy. Secondary Control (Eastern Cultures) An effort to accept reality by changing your own attitudes, goals, or emotions; a “learn to live with it” philosophy. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Coping with Stress Cooling Off. Solving the problem. Looking outward. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Cooling Off Relaxation Training Learning to alternately tense and relax muscles, lie or sit quietly, or meditate by clearing the mind; has beneficial effects by lowering stress hormones and enhancing immune function. Massage therapy. Exercise is also an excellent stress reliever. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Fitness and Health Among those with low stress, fit and less-fit people had similar levels of health problems. Among those with high stress, there were fewer health problems among people who were more fit. Figure 12.04 of Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2002). Invitation to Psychology, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Solving the Problem Emotion-focused and problem-focused coping. Effective Cognitive Coping Methods: Reappraising the situation. Learning from the experience. Making social comparisons. Cultivating a sense of humor. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall

Emotion, Stress, and Health 4/16/2017 Looking Outward Friends can help with coping: People with network of close connections live longer than those who do not. After heart attack, those with no close contacts were twice as likely to die. Relationships can also cause stress. Giving support to others can be a valuable source of comfort. ©2002 Prentice Hall ©2002 Prentice Hall