1. Coping with Stress By: Denise McCoy and Jennifer Allen

2. Stress ➔ Brain responses to any demand ➔ Stress usually can be triggered by anything; however, stress is usually triggered by “change” National Institute of Mental Health (2014). Adult Stress--Frequently Asked Questions.

3. Stress Affecting the Body ➔ Unhealthy Stress ◆ Chronic Stress ●suppresses certain functions ●lowers immune system ○digestive ○excretory ○reproductive National Institute of Mental Health (2014). Adult Stress--Frequently Asked Questions.

4. Where Stress Can Come From ➔ Life- Style Factors ◆ Psychological stresses are also associated with around 1.5-2.5 times increase of mortality in general populations ➔ Life- Style Study ◆ this study was related towards dietary fruit and vegetables intake, smoking status, daily physical activity and psychological distress Roohafza, H. et al. (2007). Relation between stress and other life style factors. Stress & Health: Journal Of The International Society For The Investigation Of Stress,23(1), 24-27.

5. Self-Esteem & Stress ➔ Low self-esteem individuals attribute little importance to oneself and believe that they have little impact on the outcomes of their actions ◆ when feeling overwhelmed and feeling not in control they feel more stressed than the situation is at hand ➔ High self-esteem individuals tend to be linked towards internal locus of control ◆ they believe that ones outcome is determined by their actions ◆ rarely feel stressed ➔ Self-Esteem = Locus of Control Juan, Y. et al.(2014). Correlation between self-esteem and stress response in Chinese college students: The mediating role of the need for social approval. Personality & Individual Differences,212-213.

6. Stress & Coping Among College Students ➔ Where is the stress coming from? ◆ Roommates ◆ Academics ◆ Finances ◆ Work ◆ Family ➔ Coping Strategies POV from College Students ◆ exercise ◆ deep breathing ◆ marijuana usage ◆ listening to music Aselton, P. (2012) Sources of Stress and Coping in American College Students. Department of Nursing-St. Joseph College. 119-121.

7. Coping Strategies ➔ how individuals cope with the stress in their lives is important because it impacts their psychological and physical well-being ➔ individuals may choose from a variety of problems and emotion-focused coping strategies that can influence their adjustment ◆ people tend to adopt coping behaviors that address the core problem ➔ Study 1 “Problem Focused Coping” ◆ Romantic Relationships Sanbonmatsu, D, et al. (2014). Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 789-791.

8. Reducing Stress ➔ Communicate ➔ Become self-aware ➔ Relaxation ➔ Prioritise and manage work and home life ➔ Be around positive and supportive people ➔ Take note of all accomplishments ➔ Exercise Managing the battle against stress. (2004). Manager: British Journal of Administrative Management, (40), 21.

9. Two Most Basic Styles of Coping ●Approach (vigilant) coping : Confront stressor head-on by gathering information, taking direct action, or in other ways making an active effort to resolve the problem. ●Avoidant (minimizing) coping : Avoid problem anyway you can, through passive behaviors, antisocial behaviors, or fantasizing.

10. Purpose of Coping Strategies ●Intended to moderate, or buffer, the effects of stressors on our physical and emotional well-being. ●However, not all coping strategies are equally effective. Some strategies provide temporary relief but tend to be maladaptive in the long run.

11. Richard Lazarus’s 1984 Approach ●Categorizes coping strategies as either problem- focused or emotion-focused. ●Problem-focused coping deals directly with the stressful situation with either reducing its demands or by increasing our capacity to deal with the stressor. ●Emotion-focused coping attempt to regulate our emotional reaction to a stressful event.

12. Unhealthy Ways of Coping with Stress Rumination : thinking repetitively about an upsetting situation and how it relates to past and future problems associated with a stressor. which can lead to an …. Emotional Cascade : a vicious cycle in which intense rumination makes the person more upset, which turns into more rumination.

13. Coping, Gender & Genes ●Coping strategies vary according to the situation, but researchers have found individual differences in gender, gender, and socioeconomic status. ●Men and women exhibit a number of different physiological reactions to stress depending, in part, on the nature of the stressor

14. Application ●Some research studies have suggested that men are more likely to use problem-focused coping strategies in dealing with stress, whereas women are more likely to rely on emotion-focused strategies. (Marco, 2004). ●When researchers compare women and men of similar occupations, education, and income, gender differences in physiological responses to stress and coping strategies often disappear.

15. Factors Affecting the Ability to Cope ●Salvatore Maddi and Suzanne Kobasa (1991) identified three stress-buffering traits--- commitment, challenges, and control that appear to influence how people react to potential stressors. Together these traits form a personality style called hardiness. ●Hardy people may be healthier because they are less likely to become aroused by stressful situations.

16. Factors Continued... ●Resilience is the quality of some children to bounce back from the environmental stressors that might otherwise disrupt their development. ●Gratitude ●Humor ●Pets ●Spirituality

17. “A recipe for severe depression is preexisting pessimism encountering failure.” ●Martin Seligman (1995)

18. References Aselton, P. (2012) Sources of Stress and Coping in American College Students. Department of Nursing-St. Joseph College. 119-121. Juan, Y. et al.(2014). Correlation between self-esteem and stress response in Chinese college students: The mediating role of the need for social approval. Personality & Individual Differences,212-213. Managing the battle against stress. (2004). Manager: British Journal of Administrative Management, (40), 21. National Institute of Mental Health (2014). Adult Stress--Frequently Asked Questions. Roohafza, H. et al. (2007). Relation between stress and other life style factors. Stress & Health: Journal Of The International Society For The Investigation Of Stress,23(1), 24-27. Sanbonmatsu, D, et al. (2014). Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 789-791. Wilcher, G. (n.d.).Stress Test. http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/pub/worklife/selfscreeningtools/stress-test-_3_.pdf

19. Stress Test http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/pub/worklife/selfscreeningtools/stress- test-_3_.pdf