Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Chapter Six: Stress

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. What is stress? Origins of the study of stress The physiology of stress What makes events stressful? How has stress been studied? Sources of chronic stress 2

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Negative emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes Aimed at altering the stressful event or accommodating to its effects Stressors: Events that cause stress 3

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Understanding what an event is and what it will mean Events are appraised for their harm, threat, or challenge Primary appraisal Assessing whether personal resources are sufficient to meet the demands of the environment Secondary appraisal Results from the process of appraising events, assessing potential resources, and responding to the events Person-environment fit 4

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Body is aroused and motivated via the sympathetic nervous system and endocrine system when a threat is perceived Result - Mobilizes an organism to attack the threat or to flee Advantage - Adaptive Disadvantage - Can be harmful 5

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. 6

Assigns a limited role to psychological factors Not all stressors produce the same endocrinological responses Continued activation accumulates the most damage to physiological systems Fails to address the debilitating effects of stress 7

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. In addition to fight or flight, people and animals respond to stress with: Social affiliation Nurturant behavior toward offspring Oxytocin is released during stressful events Acts as an impetus for affiliation 8

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Sympathetic nervous system arousal Stimulates the medulla of the adrenal glands Adrenal glands secretes the catecholamines epinephrine (EP) and norepinephrine (NE) Parasympathetic functioning - Becomes dysregulated in response to stress Affects heart rate variability 9

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Hypothalamus releases corticotrophin- releasing hormone (CRH) Stimulates secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) Stimulates the release of glucocorticoids Repeated activation of the HPA axis will compromise its functioning 10

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Stress Direct physiological effects Health behavior changes Elevated lipids Elevated blood pressure Decreased immunity Increased hormonal activity Increased smoking and alcohol use Decreased nutrition Decreased sleep Increased drug use Poor diet, little exercise 11

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Stress Psychosocial resources Health care Threatened social support Reduced optimism Threats to self-esteem Lower sense of mastery Decreased adherence to treatment Delay in seeking care Obscured symptom profile Decreased likelihood of seeking care 12

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Suppression of cellular immune function Increased blood pressure and heart ratePsychiatric disordersDevelopment of atherosclerosis Problems with verbal functioning, memory, and concentration Storage of fat in central visceral areas Affects immune functioning and sleep 13

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Reactivity: Degree of change that occurs in autonomic, neuroendocrine, and/or immune responses as a result of stress Allostatic load: Physiological costs of chronic exposure to the physiological changes from repeated or chronic stress 14

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Source: Seeman, Singer, Horwitz, & McEwen,

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Negative events Uncontrollable events Ambiguous events Overload Central life domains 16

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Chronic strain: Develops when a stressful event becomes a permanent or chronic part of the environment Depends on: Type of stressor Subjective experience of stress Indicator of stress 17

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Anticipating stress - Anticipation is as stressful as the actual event Aftereffects of stress: Persist long after the stressful event itself is no longer present Shortened attention span Poor performance on tasks Ongoing psychological distress Physiological arousal 18

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. People performing stressful tasks become psychologically distressed and show physiological arousal Identifies individuals most vulnerable to stress Shows that stress responses can be reduced with the presence of a partner or a stranger 19

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Intentionally exposing people to viruses and assessing whether they get ill and the intensity of illness People experiencing more stress are more likely to get sick and mount a stronger immune response 20

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. 21 Source : T. H. Holmes & Rahe, 1967.

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Some items on the life event list are vagueIndividual differences are not considered Does not assess whether stressful events have been successfully resolved Time between stress and illness do not correlate 22

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Daily hassles: Minor stressful events that lead to: Psychological distress Adverse physiological changes Physical symptoms Use of health care services 23

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Low socioeconomic status Exposure to violence Living in poverty-stricken neighborhoods Community level stressors 24

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Children who grow up in risky families: Have problems with emotion regulation and social skills Have difficulty forming good social relationships Can develop heightened sympathetic reactivity to stress, exaggerated cortisol responses, or chronic inflammation 25

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Long-term and grinding Contributes to psychological distress and physical illness Research relating chronic stress to health outcomes is difficult to conduct 26

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Identify the most common stressors of everyday life Provide evidence for the stress-illness relationship Provide possibilities for intervention Important as stress-related disorders lead to disability and social security payments to workers 27

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Work and sedentary lifestyle Work overload Ambiguity and role conflict Role conflict: Occurs when a person receives conflicting information about work tasks or standards from different individuals Inability to develop satisfying social relationships at work 28

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Lack of control over one’s work life Demand-control-support model: High demands and low control, combined with little social support at work Unemployment 29

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Higher rates of absenteeism Job turnover Tardiness Job dissatisfaction Sabotage Poor performance on the job 30

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Minimize physical work stressors Minimize unpredictability and ambiguity Involve workers in decisions that affect their work Make jobs interesting Help workers to develop meaningful social relationships at work 31

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Reward workers for good work Look for signs of stress Add workplace perks that enhance quality of life 32

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Conflicting home and work responsibilities increase stress Working women who have children have: Higher levels of cortisol Higher cardiovascular reactivity More home strain Single women raising children on their own are most at risk for health problems 33

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Is beneficial for health and well-being Improves self-esteem Improves feelings of self-efficacy, and life satisfaction Combination of motherhood and employment Control and flexibility over one’s work environment Good income Domestic help and adequate childcare Supportive, helpful partner Less stressful situations 34

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Distressed by financial strain and work stress Combining employment and marriage is protective for men’s health Stressful interpersonal events at work can increase conflicts with children Employed, unmarried fathers are more vulnerable to psychological distress 35

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Social and academic failure experiences at school increases a child’s aversive behavior at home Children are affected by their parents’ work and family stressors Affects academic achievement and leads to acting out in adolescence 36