Stress and Illness

Flashcards about the influence of stress on illness

Stress

A condition of an organism when it reacts to challenging new conditions, involving thoughts, senses, behavior and physiological changes.

Stressors

Events in the environment that can lead to stress, with the level of stress linked to the meaning a person attaches to the event.

Factors influencing susceptibility to stress

Genetic vulnerability, coping style, type of personality, and social support.

Effect of short-term stress

Boosted immune system.

Effect of chronic stress

Has a significant effect on the immune system that ultimately manifests as an illness.

Models for stress and illness

Illness behavior (sick role) model, stress and unhealthy behavior model, and physiological stress and illness model.

Sick role model

People react to stress by exhibiting illness behavior and entering the sick role, providing relief from changes in the environment.

Examples of stress and unhealthy behavior model

Smoking, alcoholism, poor diet, lack of rest and exercise.

Physiological stress and illness model

From stress reactions to physiological responses to organic responses, examples include irregular heartbeat, stomach ulcers, and acne.

Giving up

Feeling of psychological impotence where the person is completely unable to deal with changes in the environment.

Retrospective Research

The research that explores psychological factors and illness by asking patients about emotional conditions and stressors prior to diagnosis.

Progressive Research

Collecting prognostic information prior to an event to collect data about events in life and people’s reactions. Researchers wait to see who develops illnesses and then establish if there were stressors.

Helplessness

Psychological state that occurs frequently when a person is in a situation that is uncontrollable.

Hopelessness

A feeling or state of despair; lack of hope.

Conditions for learned helplessness

When a person has very little or no control over what happens to them and feels they can do nothing to stop negative consequences.

Consequences of learned helplessness

Can lead people to emotional disturbance, serious depression, and even sudden death because they can no longer cope.

Learned Hopelessness

Person feels that every negative thing that happens is entirely their fault.

Explanatory Style

Individuals explain the cause of bad events in different ways; it is a cognitive and attributional explanation of learned helplessness.

Learned Optimism

Challenge pessimistic thoughts and protect people against depression, teaching life skills in terms of facing challenges and assuming responsibilities.

Coping

Process whereby an individual tries to deal with the demands made upon him or her or those that exceed his resources, including thoughts and actions.

Coping mechanisms

Physiological resources, social resources, and coping actions.

Psychological Resources

Personal characteristics on which people rely to handle threats in the environment, such as self-worth, feelings of competence, and the sense of control.

Social Resources

Aspects of people’s interpersonal networks, including social support from family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

Coping Actions

Concrete things that people do, affected by the individual’s psychological and social resources, as well as by biological factors.

Problem-Focused Handling

Doing something constructive to handle the stressful situation; active handling methods include searching for information, planning, or accepting help.

Emotionally Focused Handling

Includes attempts to deal with the emotional reactions regarding the stressful event, such as positive reinterpretation, acceptance, or reverting to faith.

Social Resources for Coping

Social support acts as a buffer between stress and illness; friendly ties, friends, neighbors, and society are important.

Work of Worrying

Can help persons practice ways to handle their stress by consciously working through how they will deal with specific anticipated problems.

Humor, Music, and Massage

Reduce anxiety or improve feelings regarding self-esteem or self-respect.

Successful Coping

Physiological arousal is reduced, return to normal daily activities, and psychological stress such as anxiety and depression is reduced.