5.1 a&b Health Psychology: Stress, Illness, and Coping

Intro to Health Psychology: Stress and Illness

Learning Targets

• Explain how our appraisal of an event affects our stress reaction, and identify the three main types of stressors.

• Explain how we respond and adapt to stress.

• Explain how stress makes us more vulnerable to disease.

• Explain why some of us are more prone than others to coronary heart disease.

• Explain the causes and consequences of anger.

What is Health Psychology?

• Health Psychology: A subfield of psychology that studies the impact of psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors on health and wellness.

• Psychoneuroimmunology: The study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect our immune system and resulting health.

Maintaining Health

• Health psychologists use their studies to advance health and health care, working with governments, hospitals, corporations, and individuals.

• Promote lifestyle changes that incorporate health-enhancing behaviors and advocate for public policies that promote wellness.

• Maintaining health involves managing anger, enhancing well-being, and alleviating stress.

Stress: Some Basic Concepts

• Stress can be experienced in positive and motivational (eustress) or negative and debilitating (distress) ways.

• Stress is the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

• Stress often arises less from the events themselves than how we appraise them.

Stress Appraisal Chart

• Primary Appraisal: Decide if the event is a threat or a challenge.

• Secondary Appraisal: Decide how we’ll respond to the event.

  

Effects of Stress

• Short-term or challenge-based stressors can have positive effects like mobilizing our immune system, motivating us, and helping us build resilience.

• Prolonged stress can be harmful, leading to unhealthy behaviors, weakened health, and increased vulnerability to illness.

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) like abuse and other trauma can influence long-term stress responses and negatively impact our health and well-being.

• Overactive stress during pregnancy can lead to shorter pregnancies and health risks for the babies.

Stressors: Things that Push Our Buttons

• Catastrophes: Large-scale disasters like wildfire, earthquakes, wars, and hurricanes can lead to damage to our emotional and physical health.

• Significant Life Changes: The death of a loved one, graduating, a friend moving away, and parents divorcing can lead to health problems like heart attacks, illness, or death.

• Daily Hassles and Social Stress: Long to-do lists, aggravating family members, and social situations can lead to chronic stress, harm health, increase high blood pressure, and shorten life span.

Motivational Conflicts

• Approach-Approach: Choosing between two good options (like pizza or tacos).

• Approach-Avoidance: Being drawn to and repelled by the same thing (like loving but being frustrated with a partner).

• Avoidance-Avoidance: Choosing between two bad options (like studying or failing).

• Stress also arises from the daily conflicts we face between our different approach and avoidance motives, which Kurt Lewin identified in his theory of motivational conflicts.

The Stress Response System

• Walter Cannon showed that stress response links the mind and body.

• Stressful events trigger the adrenal glands to release epinephrine and norepinephrine.

• It activates the sympathetic nervous system for the fight or flight (and sometimes freeze) response, causing a rise in heart rate, boost in energy, and dulling of pain.

• The endocrine system produces glucocorticoid stress hormones like cortisol.

• The SNS system works faster than the endocrine system.

• Our SNS helps us with immediate threats more than distant threats like the endocrine system.

General Adaption Syndrome (GAS)

• Phase 1 - Alarm Reaction:

  • The sympathetic nervous system is activated.

  • Heart rate increases, and blood is sent to muscles to prepare for a flight-or-light response.

• Phase 2 - Resistance:

  • Body stays on high alert, temperature, blood pressure, and breathing stay elevated.

  • Stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine are released to the bloodstream.

  • Body uses available resources to handle stress.

• Phase 3 - Exhaustion:

  • Body's resources run out.

  • Increase vulnerability to illness, and in more serious cases collapsing or death.

Stress and Vulnerability to Disease

• Stress can make us more vulnerable to disease, especially when it is prolonged.

• Long-term effects of stress weaken the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight infections and diseases.

• Stress can affect our nervous system and hormones, which in turn affects our immune system.

• If the immune system is weakened by stress, it may overreact and attack the body’s own tissues or underreact, allowing infections or even cancer cells to grow.

• Stressed individuals heal slower from injuries, catch more colds, and experience worsened health overall.

• Chronic stress can even worsen conditions like AIDS, speeding up its progression.

• Stress affects the body's energy levels, diverting resources away from the immune system, which increases the risk of illness.

• Stress itself doesn't cause illness, but it makes it harder for our bodies to fight off diseases.

  • Surgical wounds heal more slowly in stressed people. In one experiment, dental students received punch wounds (precise small holes punched in the skin). Compared with wounds placed during summer vacation, those placed three days before a major exam healed 40 percent more slowly (Kiecolt- Glaser et al., 1998).

  • Stressed people are more vulnerable to colds. Major life stress increases the risk of a respiratory infection (Pedersen et al., 2010).

Stress and Cancer

• Stress doesn’t necessarily cause cancer, but it may weaken the immune system’s ability to fight cancer cells.

• Studies on animals show that stress can lead to faster tumor growth and higher cancer rates when the immune system is compromised.

• It’s important to remember that stress does not create cancer cells, but it may make it easier for cancer cells to grow by weakening the body’s natural defenses.

Stress and Heart Diseases

• Stress is a major factor in coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.

• Chronic stress can trigger inflammation in the body, which is linked to heart disease.

• Individuals with certain personality traits connected with Type A personality (hard-driving, anger-prone, and impatient) increase the risk of heart disease more than people with Type B personality (easygoing, and relaxed).

• A study of tax accountants showed that stress increased their cholesterol levels and clotting rates, both of which are risk factors for heart disease.

• Pessimism is associated with higher risks of developing heart disease, while optimism tends to lower the risk.

TYPE A/B PERSONALITY

• TYPE A PERSONALITY

  • Self-driven & Highly Competitive

  • Ambitious & Goal Oriented

  • Impatient & Intolerant

  • Aggressive & Hostile

  • Controlling & Dominant

  • High Risk of Heart Disease

  • Entrepreneurial & Workaholic

  • Sense of urgency

  • Fast-paced & Too Busy To Enjoy Life

  • Motivated by Challenges

  • Easily Stressed Out

• TYPE B PERSONALITY

  • Less competitive & Focused on Enjoying Life

  • Easy-going, Relaxed & Highly Flexible

  • Energetic, Outgoing, yet a Laid-back Attitude

  • Imaginative & Creative

  • Lighthearted & Persuasive

  • High Levels Of Life Satisfaction

  • Fun-loving, Easygoing & People-Oriented

  • Enthusiastic & Spontaneous

  • Friendly & Inspiring

  • Self-confident & Reflective

  • Highly Patient & Less Prone to Stress

Anger Management

• Anger can be a natural response to threats, but chronic anger can be harmful, especially to our heart health.

• People with high levels of hostility or anger, like those with a Type A personality, are at a higher risk of heart disease rather than those with a Type B personality.

• Expressing anger can lead to more aggression and escalate conflicts.

• Experts recommend strategies like waiting before reacting, finding healthy distractions, or distancing yourself from the situation.

• Anger can also be motivating and helpful when expressed calmly and assertively.

Better Ways to Manage Anger

• Wait: Doing so will reduce your physiological arousal.

• Find a healthy distraction or support instead of ruminating: Calm yourself by exercising, reading, or talking it through with a friend.

• Distance yourself: Try to move away from the situation mentally, as if you are watching it unfold from a distance or the future. Self-distancing reduces rumination, anger, and aggression.

Intro to Health Psychology: Coping with Stress

Learning Targets

• Explain two ways in which people try to alleviate stress.

• Explain how a perceived lack of control can affect health.

• Explain why self-control is important and whether it can be depleted.

• Explain how an optimistic outlook affects health and longevity.

• Explain how social support promotes good health.

Problem-Focused Coping vs. Emotion-Focused Coping

• Stress is unavoidable. Persistent stress is linked to heart disease, depression, and lowered immunity.

• Problem-Focused Coping: Used when we believe that an issue can be resolved and we have control over the situation. Involves addressing the issue directly.

• Emotion-Focused Coping: Used when we believe an issue has no solution and we lack control over the situation. Includes meditation, reaching out, psychiatric care.

Personal Control

• Uncontrollable threats trigger the strongest stress responses in humans.

• Personal Control - Our sense of controlling our environment

• Many of us may feel hopeless after a series of events out of our personal control

• Martin Seligman discovered a state of learned helplessness in animals and humans.

• Dogs that were shocked with no escape showed fear and no attempt to escape when placed in a situation where they could

Perceived Control and Health

• When we perceive a loss of control, we are more vulnerable to ill health.

• A study conducted on nursing home residents found ones that felt like they had less control over activities died and declined sooner.

• Workers able to control their furnishings and distractions in their environment find themselves less stressed and tend to live longer

• The more control workers have, the better lives they lead

• Poverty is a large entailer of stress

• High economic status predicts a lower risk of heart and respiratory disease

• Even among other animals, those on the lower side of the social hierarchy are more likely to become sick

• “Perceived control is basic to human functioning” - Ellen Langer

Internal and External Locus of Control

• Consider your personal beliefs of control. Do you believe you control your destiny, or is it out of your hand?

• External Locus of Control - Perception that factors outside of our control ultimately decide our fate. Individuals exhibiting such tend to be more depressed, dependent, and have worse health.

• Internal Locus of Control - Perception that we control our own fate. In a longitudinal study of over 7500 people, “internals” at age 10 exhibited less obesity, stress, and blood pressure at age 30

• Individuals who believe they have “free will” behave more helpfully, learn better, and perform better at work

The Importance of Self Control

• A sense of personal control gives us a sense of self control

• Self-control is like a muscle, weaker after use, grows after rest, and stronger when exercising

• Self-control is linked to good health, higher income, and better school performance

• Overcoming urges has led to decreases in anger, dishonesty, impulsive spending, and smoking

• Immediate gratification makes today easy, and tomorrow hard

• Delayed gratification makes today hard, and tomorrow easy

Optimism & Health

• Optimists anticipate positive outcomes and maintain a belief in their ability to influence events.

• For instance, a study conducted during law school revealed that optimistic students exhibited improved moods and enhanced immune systems (Segerstrom et al., 1998).

• In contrast, pessimists often experience feelings of helplessness, frequently attributing their circumstances to either personal shortcomings or external factors.

Optimism & Longevity

• Individuals in the top 25% of optimism exhibited a 30% lower likelihood of mortality, as noted in the study by Kim et al. (2017).

• Optimistic women reported higher levels of life satisfaction as they approached the end of life.

• Optimists are 50 to 70% more likely to live beyond the age of 85.

• Research indicates that nuns who exhibited higher levels of positive emotions tended to live, on average, seven years longer than their counterparts.

Benefits of Optimism

• Enhanced well-being is characterized by reduced fatigue, diminished aches and pains, and expedited recovery processes.

• For instance, research indicates that optimistic students experience fewer physical symptoms during finals.

• Additionally, in relationships, individuals with an optimistic outlook tend to resolve conflicts more effectively and report feeling more supported.

Learning Optimism

• Optimism is a skill that can be cultivated through consistent practice.

• A study by Sergeant and Mongrain (2014) found that individuals with pessimistic tendencies who were trained to "see the bright side" experienced a reduction in depressive symptoms.

• One effective method for fostering optimism is through visualization techniques. Envisioning a future in which you have successfully achieved your goals can help reinforce a positive mindset.

Social Support & Health

• Social support significantly contributes to our sense of value, love, and understanding.

• For instance, research by Quoidbach et al. (2019) indicates that individuals report higher levels of happiness when in the company of others.

• Furthermore, strong relationships are consistently associated with improved health and overall well- being across the globe.

Health Benefits of Social Support

• Engaging in physical affection has been shown to reduce blood pressure and enhance sleep quality.

• For instance, a study by Coan et al. (2006) demonstrated that women who held their husband's hand during a stressful situation exhibited decreased fear activity in the brain.

• Furthermore, research conducted by Cohen et al. (2015) found that frequent hugs and close physical contact were associated with a reduction in cold symptoms.

Emotional Expression & Health

• Expressing emotions, whether through conversation or writing, has been shown to enhance health outcomes.

• For instance, research by Pennebaker et al. (1989) indicated that Holocaust survivors who shared their experiences exhibited improved health fourteen months later.

• Conversely, the suppression of emotions, particularly among trauma survivors, can lead to adverse physical health consequences.

Long-Term impact of support

• Supportive marriages contribute to increased longevity and the adoption of healthier habits.

• For instance, research indicates that at age 50, the quality of an individual's marriage is a stronger predictor of future health than cholesterol levels (Vaillant, 2002).

• Conversely, divorce and social isolation are associated with a heightened risk of premature death and various diseases.

Overview

• Optimism: Fosters improved health, happiness, and longevity.

• Social Support: Enhances immune function, reduces stress levels, and facilitates healing.

• Action Steps: Build strong relationships, encourage emotional expression, and promote positive thinking.