Stress, Coping, and Health

A set of vocabulary flashcards focusing on key terms and concepts related to stress, coping, and health.

Stress

A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

Coping

The behavioral and cognitive efforts made to manage the demands posed by stressors.

Eustress

A positive form of stress that can motivate and energize an individual.

Distress

Negative stress that can have detrimental effects on an individual's health and well-being.

Life events

Significant occurrences in an individual's life that can trigger stress and coping responses.

Stressor

Any event or condition that can cause stress.

Appraisal

The evaluation of an event or situation to determine its significance and meaning regarding stress.

Primary appraisal

The initial evaluation of whether an event is a threat, challenge, or benign.

Secondary appraisal

The evaluation of the resources and options to cope with the stressor.

Problem-focused coping

Coping strategies aimed at directly addressing and solving the problem causing stress.

Emotion-focused coping

Coping strategies aimed at managing the emotional distress associated with stress.

Challenge (in terms of stressors)

A stressor that requires more effort than usual to manage or cope.

Controllability

The extent to which a stressor can be managed or influenced by the individual.

Homeostasis

The body's attempt to maintain a balanced internal state.

Psychophysiological disorders

Physical disorders that are aggravated or caused by stress, such as hypertension or asthma.

Traumatic events

Severe stressors that can lead to long-lasting psychological effects, such as PTSD.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.

Self-medication hypothesis

The idea that individuals may use substances like alcohol or drugs to alleviate stress.

Chronic stressors

Stressors that persist over an extended period, often leading to more serious health issues.

Dose-response relationship

The correlation between the amount of stressors an individual experiences and the level of stress symptoms.

Sickness behavior

A set of behavioral changes that occur in response to illness, such as lethargy and social withdrawal.

Perceived Stress Scale

A psychological instrument used to measure the perception of stress.

Emotion regulation

The ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences effectively.

Feedback (in coping)

Information gained from the outcomes of coping strategies to adjust future coping efforts.

Coping flexibility

The ability to adaptively adjust coping strategies to the demands of varying stressors.

Maladaptive behaviors

Actions taken to cope with stress that can result in negative outcomes, such as substance abuse.

Daily hassles

Minor irritations or inconveniences that can accumulate to cause stress.

Life change units

A measure of the amount of adjustment needed to cope with a specific life event.

Social Readjustment Rating Scale

A tool created by Holmes and Rahe to measure stress based on life changes.

Race-related stressors

Stressors stemming from racial discrimination and the associated impacts on mental and physical health.

Effort-reward imbalance

A situation where the perceived effort is high but the rewards received are low, leading to stress.

Vigilance (in racism context)

The heightened awareness and anticipation of potential discrimination that individuals may experience.

Coping strategies

Methods employed by individuals to handle stress and its related challenges.

Physiological symptoms of stress

Physical reactions to stress, such as headaches, muscle tension, and gastrointestinal issues.

Psychological symptoms of stress

Emotional responses to stress, such as anxiety, depression, and a sense of helplessness.

Adaptive immune system

The part of the immune system that develops specific responses to pathogens.

Innate immune system

The initial, non-specific defense mechanism that acts immediately against pathogens.

Cytokines

Chemical messengers that mediate and regulate immunity and inflammation in the body.

Feedback loop

The process of using outcomes of coping strategies to reassess

Lejuez (2000)

Participants preferred to know predictable to the unpredictable stressors

Fliege (2005)

Patients with psychosomatic disorders, and personality disorders had high experience of stress and then medical students.

Wood (2007)

Gaming helps relieve stress but also can be a source of stress by interpreting with other aspects of person’s life.

Zellner (2006)

Participants who are stress eat more un-healthy food and those less stressed.

Stress promotes hunger, a loss of control over eating, and a tendency to binge eat

Women overeat and men undereat

Sproesser (2014)

Negative feedback condition: overeaters eat more and under-eaters eat less

Accept feedback condition: overeater eat less and under-eater ate more