Background - Stressors in the Environment (Biological)

What is Stress

• response we get when the demand of our environment are greater than the capacity we have to deal with them

• 2 components

  • Stressor

    • Any Stimulus that Requires an Adjustment or and Adaptation in order to be able to deal with it

  • Stress Response

    • Biological or Physiological

      • ‘Fight or Flight'

• Could be external stressors

  • noise, overcrowding, temperature, traffic congestion

• Internal stressors

  • worry/anxiety (cognitive appraisal of the situation)

Biological Responses to Stress

Fight or Flight

• Short Term

  • Automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening

  • The perception of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an acute stress response that prepare the body to fight or flee

  • Activation of the Sympathetic - Adrenal Medullary system (SAM)

    • Increase blood pressure, blood coagulation, heart rate and blood sugar levels (energy)

  • Threat passes on to homeostasis (State of Equilibrium)

Stages of General Adaptation Syndrome (Gas)

• Stage 1 : Alarm

  • A threat or stressor means that the body prepares itself for fight or flight

• Stage 2 : Resistance

  • If the situation continues, the body tries to adapt to or cope with the long-term demands of the stressful situation

• Stage 3 : Exhaustion

  • Ultimately the bodilly resources will become depleted; this is where damage to the body starts to occur

Environmental Stressors

Crowding, Poor Housing Quality, Poor Neighbourhood Quality, Traffic Congestion

Noise

• Any Sound, especially one that is Loud, Unpleasant or that Causes Disturbance

• Intensity measured in Decibels

  • also include Pitch or Frequency, Continuous or Intermittent, how Long it Lasts

• Chronic Noise can Produce More Serious Stress Symptoms and can Affect Performance, Social Behaviour and Health

  • Studies (Natural Experiments) have shown that Children attending School Near an Airport had Higher Levels of Noradrenaline levels and Higher Resting Blood Pressure than children living in quieter areas