stress and coping ppt (4)

How is stress defined (Lazarus & Laurier, 1978)?

A transaction between the person and the environment

What determines the level of stress experienced?

Appraisal of the event and appraisal of coping resources

What is a stressor?

An external event that causes stress

Distress vs dusters?

Distress: harmful

Eustress : positive, motivating

Acute vs chronic stress

Acute: short term, clear endpoint

Chronic : ongoing, no endpoint

What does Cannons fight or flight model emphasize?

Physiological response to external threat.

What are the stages of general adaptation syndrome (GAS)?

Alarm…..resistance….exhaustion

Main limitations of early stress models?

Ignored psychological appraisal and individual differences

What is life events theory?

Major life events accumulate to increase illness risk

Key problems with life events theory?

Retrospective bus, subjective ratings, no chronic vs acute distinction

What is the transactional model of stress?

Stress occurs only if the person appraises an event as stressful

What is primary appraisal?

Evaluating whether an event is irrelevant, benign, or threatening

What is secondary appraisal?

Evaluating coping options and personal resources

Why are uncontrollable events more stressful?

Lack of predictability and control increases stress

What is overload?

Multiple stressors pilling up increases perceived stress

Why are ambiguous events stressful?

Uncertainty makes coping strategies unclear

What does SAM axis do?

Short term flight or fight response via adrenaline

What does HPA axis do?

Long term stress response via cortisol

What are effects of prolonged sympathetic activation?

High BP, heart disease risk, immune suppression

What is allostatic load?

Cumulative wear and tear from repeated stress response

How does chronic stress cause disease?

Through long term physiological, behavioral, and psychological changes

What does the acute stress model explain?

Timimng of events like heart attacks after anger or exercise

How does stress affect smoking?

Increases initiation, relapse and amount smoked

How does stress affect alcohol use?

People drink to reduce negative emotions (tension reduction)

How does stress affect eating?

Increase emotional and external eating, especially in women and obese individuals.

How does stress affect exercise?

Often reduces physical activity

What is stress reactivity?

Degree of physiological response to stress

Why is stress recovery important?

Slower recovery increases illness risk

What is stress resistance?

Traits and coping styles that protect health despite stress

What is PNI?

How psychological factors influence the immune system

What immune markers are commonly studied?

Wound healing, NK cells, IgA, tumor growth

How does stress affect immunity?

Chronic stress suppresses immune function

What factors buffer the stress illness relationship?

Exercise, social support, coping style, control, personality

What is coping?

Managing stressors and emotional responses to restore balance

Problem focused vs emotion focused coping?

Problem : change the stressor

Emotion : regulate emotions

When is problem focused coping most used?

When the stressor is controllable

Approach vs avoidance coping ?

Approach : confront the stressor

Avoidance: disengage or distract

What predicts coping strategy choices ?

Controllability , age, gender, and type of stressor.