Stress, Coping and Health laughing Kung fu Evil Eye

How Stressed are you? On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressed do you feel right now? On a scale of 1 to 10, how stressed would you say you normally feel? Of the following, which most describes you?

Biopsychosocial Model This model holds that you must look at the biological, psychological and sociocultural factors that influence a person’s behavior. You don’t want to look at these factors separately, but how they interact with each other. - Contextualism

Health Psychology We tend to focus on many negatives in psychology. This area also focuses on how we can stay healthy. Hmmm…… How would you propose that we do this?

Answer….. Study people who are healthy physically and psychologically and find out what their life is like – genetics, family, friends, etc. Doesn’t this sound SOOOO simplistic?

Stress It is not the events that happen to us that cause us stress, but how we perceive those events. How do YOU appraise stress? Take a moment to reflect Think about it….. Why is it that when a teacher assigns a paper/project there are different reactions in the room? Observe your fellow peers next time for this…

ANY OF THIS LOOK FAMILIAR?

Which do you think affects us the most? 1. Daily Stress That which we live with on a day-to-day basis 2. Significant Changes That is, moving, divorce, going to college 3. Catastrophes That which takes us by surprise

DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF Sounds easy – huh? In fact, research demonstrates that people suffer more over small events that large events. WHY? WHY?

Answer…. Because they are often cumulative AND ongoing Think about stresses in your life – e.g., schoolwork. Just when you think you have gotten your work out of the way, that psych teacher of yours starts giving reading check quizzes

Frustration Simply put, you can’t reach a goal that you would like to reach. The frustration-aggression hypothesis states that frustration will ultimately lead to aggression, either overt aggression or passive-aggressive behavior Watch for ongoing frustration though!!!

Does this look Familiar?

Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome Alarm-physiological arousal occurs Resistance-physiological arousal stabilizes Exhaustion-body begins to shut down MY FAMILY PICTURE-> ->

Conflict Conflict is good in that it teaches us about prioritizing and decision-making Lewin and Miller describe three types- Approach-Approach Avoidance-Avoidance Approach-Avoidance

Change Frustration and stress can sometimes be avoided by obtaining coping skills, however…… Most people HATE change, even if their current situation is horrible – it seems that we sometimes are so afraid of change because of the UNKNOWN!! SRRS Scale

Life Changes – Social Readjustment Rating Scale Death of a spouse – 100 Divorce - 73 Marital Separation - 65 Jail Term - 63 Personal injury or illness- 53 Marriage- 47 Fired at work- 45 Marital reconciliation- 45

SRRS Scale cont’d Retirement- 45 Change in health of family member-44 Pregnancy-40 Sex difficulties-39 Gain of a new family member-39 Business readjustment39 Change in financial state-38 Death of a close friend-37

SRRS Scale cont’d Change to a different line of work-36 Change in # of arguments with spouse-35 Mortgage or loan for major purchase-31 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan-30 Change in responsibilities at work-29 Son or daughter leaving home-29 Trouble with in-laws-29 Outstanding personal achievement-28

SRRS Scale cont’d Wife begins or stops work-26 Begin or end school-26 Change in living conditions-25 Revision of personal habits-24 Trouble with boss-23 Change in work hours or conditions-20 Change in residence-20

SRRS Scale cont’d Change in school-20 Change in recreation-19 Change in church activities-19 Change in social activities-18 Mortgage or load for lesser purchase-17 Change in sleeping habits-16 Change in # of family get-togethers-15

Change in eating habits-15 Vacation-13 Christmas-12 Minor violations of the law-11

3 Responses to Stress 1.Emotional Responses 2.Physiological Responses 3.Behavioral Responses

Emotional Responses Stress and mood are highly correlated according to Caspi study conducted with women. When we are highly stressed, we get into a bad mood. Helplessness leads to sadness

Common Emotional Responses to Stress -Annoyance, anger and rage -Apprehension, anxiety and fear -Dejection, sadness and grief WHICH ARE YOU MOST LIKE?

Inverted U Hypothesis It appears that a small amount of stress is optimal for task completion and awareness, but at a certain level, it becomes disruptive to learning or remembering

Physiological Responses Fight-or-flight – sympathetic system is activated Parasympathetic system brings system back to homeostasis

Behavioral Responses Coping-how we try to reduce or tolerate the demands of our lives How do you cope with stress????? Aggression- Dollard/frustration- aggression hypothesis Passive-Aggressive Responses

Defense Mechanisms Denial of Reality Fantasy Intellectualization-cutting off from emotion Undoing-magically trying to atone for actions/thoughts Overcompensation Displacement

Constructive Coping Constructive Coping-healthy ways of dealing with stress – can you name some constructive ways of dealing with stress? -Confront problem directly – really look at your options - Reasonably appraise your coping resources- what will you do if you cannot do anything????

Negative Effects of Stress Burnout – physical, mental, emotional exhaustion due to ongoing emotionally demanding situations – like what? Who is most likely to suffer from burnout? Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Effects of Stress on Physical Health Psychosomatic Diseases-actual physical problems that are caused, in part, by psychological stressors (don’t forget that genetics plays some role in all of this) Somatoform Disorders-when a person experiences physical symptoms but there is absolutely no organic reason for their symptoms

ARE YOU TYPE A? Oh c’mon now, you know who you are… - Strong competitive type - Impatient/time urgency - Anger/hostility/cynicism - Unable to handle other’s mistakes - Likes to do ALL the work themselves - Workaholics Which of these characteristics is most associated with heart disease?

Do you find yourself…… Having difficulty restraining yourself from hurrying other’s speech? Doing more than one thing at a time? Feeling guilty if you use extra time to relax? Tending to get involved in a lot of things at one time? Racing through yellow lights when you drive?

Do you find yourself…. Needing to win in order to get enjoyment out of things? Needing to move, walk and eat rapidly? Taking on too many responsibilities? Getting angry when you have to wait on line? Having an intense desire to better your position in life and impressing others?

Type A Personalities…. Have greater physiological reactivity in response to stress may cause wear and tear in the cardiovascular system Exposure to self-imposed stress may be high because competitiveness and time urgency foster pressure, while hostility and anger lead to interpersonal difficulties

Type A Personalities… Hostility and competitiveness may undermine social support from others that might buffer the effects of stress Cynicism and impatience might lead to poor health habits, such as a lack of exercise, excessive consumption of convenience foods, or denial of symptoms

Emotional Reactions and Heart Disease STRESS TAXES THE HEART!!! DEPRESSION HAS BEEN LINKED TO HEART DISEASE THE MORAL OF THE STORY…..REALLY EVALUATE YOUR STRESS LEVEL – WHAT IS WORTH STRESSING ABOUT?

Physical Problems – Type A Associated with….. Colds Ulcers Asthma Headaches Chronic back pain Stroke Heart Disease AIDS

By the way…… Stress and lack of sleep deplete your immune system….. Before you go to college, you may be required (if not ask your doctor about it) to get vaccinated for meningococcal meningitis

If you are a stressed person….. Stress does not necessarily mean that you will get sick. You need to also have….. Genetic predisposition Exposure to infectious agents Environmental teratogens Nutrition/Exercise Alcohol/Drug use

ARE YOU TYPE B? You know who you are too……. Are you – Relaxed most of the time? Easygoing? Amicable? Adaptable?

How to cope with your stress…. -Social support – this is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Surround yourself with positive people -Try to be optimistic -Study by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman demonstrated that people who use a pessimistic explanatory style as someone who blames their problems on personal shortcomings

Physiological responses to stress Catecholamines- –Epinephrine (adrenaline)- produced by adrenal gland –Norepinephrine (noradrenaline)-produced in brain stem –Dopamine-released by hypothalamus

Physiological response to stress Cortisol-called the ‘stress hormone’ as it is released in larger quantities when a person is stressed Problems associated with high stress: Impaired cognitive performance Suppressed thyroid function Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia Decreased bone density Decrease in muscle tissue Higher blood pressure Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences Increased abdominal fat

Some other physiological reactions to stress The body is initially stimulated by catecholamines, which allow the sympathetic nervous system to activate. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreted by the pituitary gland, stimulates the adrenal glands. Stimulates the release of corticosteroids – hormones that stimulate the release of fats and proteins to help increase one’s energy during the fight-or-flight response.

Physiological reactions to stress Glucocorticoids – when people are stressed, these hormones are released which appear to inhibit the ability to recall information. Those of you who have test anxiety and can’t remember anything, RELAX, it is the chemicals!!!! Really, you need to relax before a test. If you know that looking over your notes increases your anxiety, why do it?

Stress appears to be related to….. Poor academic functioning Insomnia Nightmares Alcohol/drug abuse Overall unhappiness

Stress may also play a role in…. Depression Schizophrenia Bipolar Disorder Anxiety Disorders Eating Disorders

Health-Impairing Behavior Why do people engage in self-destructive behaviors? Why do people drink knowing it may destroy their liver? ….Smoke when it can damage their lungs? ….Overeat when it can damage their heart?

Answers… Bad habits develop over time Many of these behaviors feel good People often think it will never happen to them Think about it…..do you think anyone starts drinking alcohol with the intent of becoming an alcoholic? Does this make sense?

Reactions to illness Some people don’t like to go to doctor because… They are afraid of what they may hear They are afraid that they will look like they are overreacting Lack of time They don’t see their symptoms as serious

The “Sick Role” Some people like the “sick role” because it.. Gives them more attention Reduces their responsibilities Gets others to treat them differently

Relax and get some……