Health PSYC: Stress & Coping

Stress

a negative emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioural changes

Stress impacts

direct physiological (body) effects, health habit effects (more drinking & smoking, etc), health behaviour effects (not seeking health care)

stressors

an event, situation, experience or trigger that causes stress

person-environment fit

perception of stress is determined by an individual’s appraisal of resources

Stress and resource type

• adequate resources → low stress, manageable,

• inadequate resources → stressed out

Fight-or-flight

life-saving, acute activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system, preparing organism to confront threat or flee from it

Constant fight or flight

chronic activation can have detrimental effects on physical and mental health including, cardiovascular issues, anxiety disorders, immune system issues

General adaptation syndrome (GAS) phases:

• alarm – fight-or-flight activated, mobilize to meet the threat

• resistance – body tries to cope/adapt while remaining alert

• exhaustion – prolonged or chronic stress drains the body's physical, emotional, and mental energy reserves

GAS model flaws

responses to stressors are uniform which does not reflect reality, stress is only evident in the presence of an obvious/in-your-face stressor (doesn't account for stress about future, for eg)

Tend-and-befriend

seeking social contact during stress (ie. herding) for increased levels of oxytocin, more common in females

Primary appraisal

is the initial evaluation of whether an incoming event or stressor is relevant to our well-being and what its impact might be (positive stress, or is it negative?)

Secondary Appraisal

evaluating our available coping skills, social support, and resources to handle the event

Physiological systems affected by stress

• sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system

• hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis

HPA axis & cortisol

HPA activation releases different hormones, including cortisol (“stress hormone”)

Sympathetic arousal (affects our…)

blood pressure, heart rate, sweating – the effects of stress

Allostatic load

the cumulative physiological “wear and tear” on the body and brain caused by repeated or chronic exposure to stress

What makes something stressful?

negative events, uncontrollable or unpredictable events, ambiguous events, task overload

Active vs anticipated stress

anticipated stressor can be just as stressful as an active/”real” stressor

Social readjustment rating scale (SRRS)

self-report tool used to measure the impact of major life events on physical and mental health

Early stress

early trauma can increase a broad range of health risks and is linked to chronic impact on physical and mental systems

Coping

the thoughts and behaviours used to manage the internal and external demands of situations deemed stressful

factors influencing coping

individual coping is shaped by genetic and environmental factors

Neuroticism (negative affectivity) and coping

linked with lower levels of coping skills and linked with poorer health

Pessimistic explanatory style

cognitive habit linked to lower coping, where a person explains negative events using internal, stable, and global factors

Perfectionism

unrealistic goals can lead to stress & linked with lower level of coping skills

Dispositional optimism (coping)

positive outlook on life which promotes more active and persistent coping efforts

Self compassion (coping)

treating oneself with kindness → helps diffuse negative self-evaluation and critique

Gratitude (coping)

noticing the positives and appreciating life, associated with a range of positive coping styles

Psychological control (coping)

coping skill built when individual feels they have “control” over environment, behaviour, and desired outcomes

Self-esteem and coping

higher self-confidence lowers effects of stress

Avoidant (minimizing) vs approach (confrontative) coping

avoider deals well with short-term stress – whilst confronter deals well with long-term stress

Problem-focused vs. emotion-focused coping

problem focused takes a constructive approach–whilst emotion focused tries to regulate emotions (typically both are used)

Psychological resilience

is the ability to bounce back from negative emotional experiences/stress

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)

use systematic training in meditation, to reduce stress and focus on stressor at hand

Disclosure (coping)

initiating dialogue around emotional and psychological factors, where both verbal and written dialogue was beneficial

Stress management phases

identify stressors

acquire/practice coping skills for stress

practice coping skills in real world examples

Social support (coping)

helps determine coping through tangible assistance (e.g food), informational support (e.g past experience), emotional support

Explicit social support

actively asking for help, and receiving direct assistance

Implicit social support

emotional comfort and security from belonging to a social network without having to disclose specific problems