Applications of Psychology to Health

Stress

The non-specific response of the body to any demand for change

Distress

negative psychological response to a stressor, as indicated by the presence of negative psychological states such as anger, anxiety, nervousness and irritability.

Eustress

A positive psychological response to a stressor, as indicated by the presence of positive psychological states such as feeling enthusiastic, motivated, excited and optimistic.

Stressor

Stimuli that place demands on us that require us to adapt our behaviour in some way and may even threaten our well-being and physical safety.'

Environmental Stressor

aspects of one's surroundings that increase mental or emotional strain in their lives.

Psychological Stressor

any situation or event that the individual deems to be a threat or challenge

Social Stressor

a situation which threatens one's relationships, esteem, or sense of belonging within a dyad, group, or larger social context

Cultural Stressor

any situation where culture, cultural identity or cultural norms result in mental or emotional strain

Nature

Type of stressor

Duration

The period of time the stressor lasts

Acute Stressor

threatening events that have a relatively short duration and a clear endpoint

chronic stress

Continuous stressful arousal persisting over time.

Strength

This is the severity of the stressor as experienced by the individual

Coping

the cognitive, behavioural and emotional ways that people deal with stressful situations and includes any attempt to preserve mental and physical health - even if it has a limited value

General Adaptation Syndrome

Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three phases—alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

Physiological response

Stress is the body's physiological response to both physical and psychological demands and that it represents the body's generalised effort to adapt itself to new conditions

Alarm Phase

the first phase of the stress response, a general defensive reaction to the stressor and results in a state of tension, alertness and readiness to respond

Shock

First substage of alarm phase of GAS. The body's ability to deal with the stressor (resistance level) falls below it's normal level

Counter Shock

Second substage of alarm phase of GAS. Threat is registered by the amygdala and the sympathetic nervous system is activated by the hypothalamus. The fight-flight responses is activated. The body's ability to deal with stress (resistance level) moves above it's normal level

Resistance Phase

The second phase of GAS. If the stress continues, the body attempts to stabilise itself and manage the stressor. If the stressor remains, the body continues to release hormones which bring risks of illness or inability to cope with further stressors

Exhaustion Phase

The third phase of GAS. If the stressor remains, the body will eventually be unable to sustain the production of resources used to manage it and hormones can become depleted. A person in this stage may be at increased risk of mental health challenges and other illnesses such as heart disease and high blood pressure

Holmes and Rahe, 1967

Social Readjustment Scale - theorised that the total number of LCUs a person accumulated in the previous year could predict the likelihood that they would become sick over the next few months

Selye, 1936 and 1983

General Adaptation Syndrome

Social Readjustment Scale

This theory describes stress as a stimulus. Views stress as a significant life event or change that demands response, adjustment or adaptation

LCU

Life Change Units

Life Change Units

a value out of 100 based on how much change would be needed for that particular event

Lazarus and Folkman, 1984

Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping

Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping

Describes stress as a dynamic process and a transaction between a person and their environment. How an individual appraises a stressor determines how they will respond to the stressor.

Strong coping resources

there may be no stress

weak or ineffective coping resources

stress occurs

Cognitive appraisal involves the assessment of

1. Whether a situation or event threatens our wellbeing
2. Whether there are sufficient personal resources available for coping with the demand
3. Whether our strategy for dealing with the situation or event is working

Primary Cognitive Appraisal

Is this situation going to mean trouble for me?

Primary Cognitive Appraisal Assessment and Interpretation

1. Irrelevant
2. Benign-positive
3. Challenging, harmful or threatening

Irrelevant assessment

not considered a source of stress

Benign assessment

not considered a source of stress

Challenging, harmful or threatening assessment

move to secondary appraisal

Secondary appraisal

What can I do to cope with this situation

Secondary Cognitive Appraisal Assessment and Interpretation

Resources to cope - little or no stress
Not sufficient resources to cope - stress is likely

Reappraisal

New information results in us updating our perception of success or failure in meeting a challenge or threat

Coping Strategies

the ways we deal with a stressful situation used to moderate or buffer the effects of stressors on our physical and emotional wellbeing

Problem Focused Coping

Used to deal directly with a stressful situation. We use this when we believe our resources and situations are changeable.
Either:
1. reduce the demands of stressor
2. increase our capacity to deal with the stressor

Emotion Focused Coping

Used to attempt to deal with your emotional responses to stress. We use these when we believe our coping resources are insufficient to meet the demands of the stressor. They include Behavioural and Cognitive strategies

Behavioural emotion focussed coping

seeking support from others or keeping busy

Cogitive emotion focused coping

changing the way we assess the stressor or denying unpleasant information

Adaptive Coping Strategies

Actions that help people to adapt, adjust, or participate in different aspects of life. Such actions are intended to designed to help relieve stress.

Maladaptive Coping Strategies

Actions that prevent people from adapting, adjusting, or participating in different aspects of life. Such actions are intended to help relieve or avoid stress, but they are often disruptive and may contribute to increased distress, discomfort, and anxiety over time

Reframing, Seeking Social Support and Problem Focused Coping

Adaptive Coping Strategies

Unproductive Worry, Repression, Avoidance, Aggression, Blame

Maladaptive Copin Strategies