HOSA - Behavioural Health - Wellness, Stress, and Coping

Stress

an unpleasant emotional state that results from the perception of danger

Stressor

the source of stress; highly individual and idiosyncratic

Benefit of stress

motivates us to perform well and makes us healthier in the long run

Disadvantage of stress

can be counterproductive and interfere with our performance and wellbeing; can contribute to depression, schizophrenia, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other serious conditions

Stress response

extreme cold, lack of oxygen and emotional experiences all have the capacity to initiate a fight-or-flight response; during which heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration all increase, while nonessential functions are inhibited; physical responses reflect a process that has been finely tuned through evolution to maximize our survival in emergencies

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

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

Alarm stage of GAS

first stage; all the resources are mobilized for fight or flight

Resistance stage of GAS

second stage; we adapt and cope as well as possible

Exhaustion stage of GAS

third stage; resources are depleted

Sources of stress

large-scale disasters, changes, and relatively insignificant sources of stress, often called hassles; stressors exist in the eye of the beholder (stress is different between people)

Amygdala and stress

participates in a "fear circuit" that provides a rapid assessment of a stimulus or situation as potentially dangerous; once stimulus is identified as dangerous it communicates with hypothalamus

Hypothalamus and stress response

most directly commands the autonomic nervous system, particularly the sympathetic division - known for fight-or-flight response

Gender difference in stress response

women are more likely to tend and befriend in response to stressors

Tend and befriend

under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend)

socioeconomic status (SES) and stress

those of lower SES are exposed to more noise, more toxins, more carcinogens, more violence, fewer resources, less health care, higher levels of drugs and alcohol abuse, less exercise, more anger, less control, and less trust; all these factors are associated with high stress

Immune system

the body system that defends against against infection and cancer

Immune system and stress response

doesn't perform well in the face of long-term, chronic sources of stress; people are more vulnerable to infectious diseases like colds

Lymphocytes

white blood cells; protect us from invading organisms

Lymphocytes and stress response

stress hormones directly suppress activity

Cardiovascular system and stress response

is put at risk by affecting the ability of blood vessels to expand when necessary

Long-term chronic stress effects

changes in mood, sleep, and appetite that compromise well-being; disruption of sleep is particularly hazardous as we need sleep to restore our bodies; fat cells behave differently, growing both in size and number

Cortisol

a stress hormone released in response to perceived stressors and plays a role in maintaining our natural cycles of sleep and waking

Types of coping

problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and relationship-focused coping

Problem-focused coping

designed to address the problem

Emotion-focused coping

helps you deal with the negative emotions associated with a stressor

Relationship-focused coping

helps you maintain and protect social relationships in response to stress

Biopsychosocial model

a model that sees health as the result of biological, psychological, and social factors