psych ch 16 stress, coping, and well-being

what does health psychology investigate?

the psychological factors related to wellness and illness, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems

what is stress?

a person’s response to events that are threatening or challenging

what are stressors?

circumstances or events that produce threats to well-being

what is determines whether an event is stressful?

a person must perceive it as threatening or challenging and lack resources to deal with it effectively

what are the 3 stages of General Adaptaion Syndromw (GAS)?

alarm and mobilization, resistance, exhaustion

what happens in the alarm and mobilization stage?

the person becomes aware of the stressor; the sympathetic nervous system is activated

what happens during the resistance stage?

the body actively fights the stressor on a biological level

what happens during the exhaustion stage?

the boy’s ability to fight the stressor declines, leading to illness, irritability, or disorientation

what is psychoneuroimmunology?

the study of how physiological factors, the nervous system, and the immune system interact to affect health

what are the 3 main ways stress affects health?

direct physiological effects, harmful behaviors, indirect consequences

what is coping?

efforts to control, reduce, or tolerate the threats that lead to stress

difference between emotion-focused and problem-focused coping?

emotion-focused = manage emotions/perceptions of stress; problem-focused = modify the source of stress directly

what is learned helplessness?

a state when people believe unpleasant situations cannot be controlled and stop trying the change them

what is hardiness?

a personality trait with commitment, challenge, and control that helps people handle stress effectively

list the 3 components of hardiness

commitment, challenge, control

what is resilience?

the ability to withstand, overcome, and thrive after adversity (optimistic, social, independent)

what is social support?

a mutual network of caring, interested others that lowers stress and improves coping

what are background stressors?

everyday annoyances that cause irritation and may have long-term effects

what are cataclysmic events?

sudden, strong stressors affecting many people

what are personal stressors?

major life events that have short-term negative effects

what is PTSD?

long-term psychological effects following major catastrophes, with flashbacks or vivid memories

what are psychophysiological disorders?

medical problems influenced by psychological, emotional, and physical factors

describe the type A behavior pattern

hostile, competitive, time-urgently, driven; linked to higher risk of hear disease

describe the type B behavior pattern

patient, cooperative, noncompetitive, nonaggressive

describe the type D behavior pattern

insecure, anxious, negative outlook; linked to repeated heart attacks

what improves communication between patients and healthcare providers?

clear instructions, warm relationships, and positively framed messages that emphasize benefits

what do positively framed messages do?

emphasize the benefits of healthy behavior

what do negatively framed messages do?

highlight the risks or losses of not performing a healthy behavior

lists 4 characteristics of happy people

high self-esteem, sense of control, optimism, supportive relationships

does money buy happiness?

no; people adapt to life changes and return to a stable level of happiness

what is subjective well-being?

a person’s sense of happiness and satisfaction with their life