chp 14: stress and heatlh

- stress sources, stress rxns, managment, psych of illness, psych of heatlh

CUSS

College Undergraduate Stress Scale

assesses college student life events

chronic stressors

• source of stress that occur continuously

• ex: social rs

• effect can accumulate

• linked to env sometimes

• distributed dif based on race

perceived control

• belief that one can influence their environment, behavior, or future outcomes, reducing stress and improving well-being

• lack of control gives more stress

higher lvls of discrimination related stress are linked to more maladaptive coping behaviours such as

• drinking, smoking, overeating

• difficulties interacting w healthcare workers (bc History of discrimination by health care providers against equity-seeking groups)

life expectancy for Indigenous people is how much shorter than other Canadians

5-10 years

fight or flight response

• Emotional and physiological reaction to an emergency that increases readiness for action

• ACTH travels through the bloodstream to activate the adrenal glands to release catecholamines and cortisol 

general adaption syndrome (GAS) and 3 phases

• 3 stage physiological response regardless of stressors

• nonspecific

1. alarm
   - immediate rxn. activates SNS
   - adrenaline and cortisol released
   - increase bp and heart rate

2. resistance
   - body tires to repair and adapt
   - want homeostasis
   - intial panic gone but still high cortisol

3. exhaustion

• prolonged stress = body gets tried from using up energy

• adaptability slows

• severe fatigue, weak immune system, burnout depression rates higher

Selye’s three pahses of stress response

• resistance to stress builds over time but can last only so long before exhausation kicks in

telomeres

protective, repetitive DNA sequences (TTAGGG) capped with proteins at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, acting like plastic tips on shoelaces to prevent fraying and fusion. They shorten with each cell division, acting as a molecular clock that dictates cellular aging and senescence, ultimately limiting a cell's lifespan

telomerase

specialized enzyme (reverse transcriptase) that adds TTAGGG sequences to lengthen telomeres, preventing damage and enabling cell immortality, primarily in stem cells and cancer cells

stressors can cause what hormone to flood the brain, wearing down the immune system

glucocorticoids

lymphocytes

• crucial type of white blood cell

• drive the adaptive immune system by identifying, attacking, and remembering pathogens

• primarily of T cells (kill infected cells, manage immune response) and B cells (produce antibodies), alongside Natural Killer (NK) cells that destroy abnormal or cancerous cells

Psychoneuroimmunology

(PNI)

• bidirectional communication between the central nervous system (brain) and the immune system

• revealing that thoughts, emotions, and stress directly modulate immune responses

atherosclerosis

• sensitive to stress

• an underlying process for diseases

• chronic, progressive disease where plaque—comprised of fat, cholesterol, and calcium—builds up inside artery walls, restricting blood flow and reducing arterial elasticity

Coronary heart disease (CHD)

• a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries supplying blood to the heart, reducing blood flow and oxygen.

• sensitive to stress

• specific disease

things that increase rates of heart disease (7)

• smoking

• sedentary lifestyle

• poor diet

• intensity

• drive

• anger

• hostility

lazarus and folkman discovered what about emotional and behavioral response to stress

• primary appraisal

  • initial, automatic evaluation of a situation as threat or challenge

• secondary appraisal

assess coping strategies to manage the stressor

Together, determine the emotional and behavioral response to stress

• threat into challenge

negative appraisal

threat

positive appraisal

challenge

social unfamiliarity

burnout

• State of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion created by long-term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation

  • Accompanied by lowered performance and motivation

  • Particular problem in helping professions
    

burnout is most common in what jobs

helping professions

ex: teachers, doctors, nurses etc.

Burnout causes

• Gauging your self-worth by success at work alone

• Emotionally stressful jobs

Kahneman and Deaton showed what about self-reported happiness

 

self-reported happiness and stress decrease as income increases

• Childhood years spent in nicer neighbourhoods associated with

• increased adult earnings

monetary housing vouchers

government-funded subsidies provided to low-income individuals or families to help cover a portion of their monthly rent

antipoverty programs

• a government or organizational initiative designed to reduce, alleviate, or eliminate poverty

• providing financial aid, services, or opportunities to individuals with low incomes

3 ways to think of stressors (3R’s)

• repression

  • avoiding feelings, thoughts, or situations that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint

• rationalization

  • acing a stressor and working to overcome it. This strategy is the opposite of repressive coping

  • 3 steps

• reframing

  • finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces its threat

3 steps of rationalization

• acceptance

  • coming to realize that the stressor exists and cannot be wished away

• exposure

  • attending to the stressor, thinking about it, and even seeking it out

• understanding

  • working to find the meaning of the stressor in your life

prolonged exposure

relive the traumatic event in their imaginations by recording a verbal account of the event and then listening to the recording daily

stress inoculation training (SIT)

Reframing technique that helps people cope with stressful situations by developing positive ways to think about situations

bodily techniques useful in stress management (4)

meditation

relaxation

biofeedback

aerobic exercise

meditation

• intentional contemplation

• clear mind, breathing, restful, lengthens telomeres

electromyography (EMG)

Technique used to measure the subtle activity of muscles

relaxation therapy

reduce tension by consciously relaxing muscles of the body

relaxation response

condition of reduce muscle tension, cortical activity, heart rate, bp, breathing

biofeedback

external monitoring device to obtain information about a bodily function ad possibly gain control over that function

aerobic exercise

increase heart rate and oxygen intake

increase serotonin and endorphins

situation management

involves changing ur life to reduce stress through

• social support: aid gained through interactingw others

• religious

• humour

• avoid procrastination

the dif social supports for men and women

male: fight or flight

women: tend and befriend

Religiosity

Affiliation with or engagement in the practices of a particular religion

spirituality

Having a belief in and engagement with some higher power, not necessarily linked to any particular religion

how humour helps w stress (2 + 1)

• Reduces sensitivity to pain and stress

• Reduces time needed to calm down after stressful event

• Cumulative effects not found

procrastinating reasons

• Boring

• Difficult or unpleasant

• Requires too much effort and more

sickness response

Coordinated, adaptive set of reactions to illness organized by brain; can be prompted through stress without infection

• Person withdraws from activity and eating to conserve energy to fight illness.
  

• Immune response begins activation of white cells.
  

• Cytokines released: Proteins that activate vagus nerve and induce “I am sick” message

depression

the connection between sickness response, immune reaction

white blood cells and ____ else are activated and communicate the sickness response to the brain?

cytokines

• prompted by illness or stress

• linked to depressive symptoms

sick role

• Socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness; provides exemptions and obligations
  

malingering

• Feigning medical or psychological symptoms to achieve something one wants

keys to effective medical care (2)

• Physician empathy and understanding of patient’s physical and psychological state

• Physical ability to motivate patient to comply with prescribed regimen of care
  

compliance of patients decreases if treamtent is (4)

• Frequent 

• Inconvenient 

• Painful

• or if the number of treatments increases

placebos work because

patients believe in the nature of medicine

true or false. knowledge of receiving a placebo can be even more effective

true

how do placebos work

• trigger the release of endorphins and lower brain activation in areas associated with pain

2 kinds of psych factors influence personal health

health-relavent personality traits

• OCEAN

health behaviour

optimism (2 factors)

• Aids in maintenance of psychological health in the face of physical problems

• Is healthier than pessimism 

hardiness and 3 traits

hardy people are stress-resistant

• sense of commitment

• belief in control

• acceptance of challenge

handles stress better than others and r healthier he

3 health promoting behaviours

healthy eating

safe sex

not smoking

self-regulation and 3 factors

exercise of voluntary control over the slef to bring the slef into line w standards aka willpower

• Often involves delay of instant gratification for longer-term gains

• Self-control may be limited.

• May be an issue of strategy