Stress and Coping Flashcards

Introduction to Stress and Coping

• Definition of stress: An experience where individuals interpret events as threatening, posing risk or harm, while feeling they lack the resources to cope.
• Importance of coping strategies during stressful periods, especially related to illness and exam preparation.

Understanding Coping

• Definition of coping: Attempts to eliminate or minimize the impact of stressors.
• Coping strategies can be classified broadly based on the transactional model proposed by Lazarus and Folkman.
• Emphasis on the idea that individual responses to stress vary, and coping mechanisms can differ significantly among people.

Exam Stress as a Coping Context

• Common stressors during exam season include time pressure, anxiety about performance, and lack of control.
• Strategies used by students to cope with exam stress:
  • Avoidance (putting off studying)
  • Active preparation (study schedules, practice questions)
  • Emotional responses (comfort eating, socializing, or exercising).
• Importance of evaluating which strategies are effective in managing stress and achieving academic success.

The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

• Stress is viewed as a process that involves:
  1. Primary appraisal: Assessing if a situation is a threat, benign, or positive.
  2. Secondary appraisal: Evaluating available resources to manage the stressor.
• If perceived as threatening and resources are insufficient, stress response is activated.
• Coping responses can be:
  • Problem-focused coping: Directly addressing the stressor.
  • Emotion-focused coping: Regulating emotional responses to stressor (e.g., relaxation techniques, social support).

Importance of Matching Coping Strategies

• Effective coping involves choosing strategies that align with the nature of the stressor:
  • If stressor can be controlled or minimized, problem-focused coping is encouraged.
  • For chronic stressors that cannot be avoided, emotion-focused coping becomes crucial.

Examples of Interventions

Breast Cancer Treatment Choices

• Study highlights the benefits of giving patients choices in treatment options (mastectomy vs. lumpectomy).
• Patients who had input in their treatment exhibited lower anxiety levels compared to those who did not have a choice.

Care Facilities for Elderly Individuals

• Increase in residents' life satisfaction and lower mortality rates when given a sense of control over their actions and environment.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions

• Studies show mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises can help manage anxiety and improve health outcomes in chronic conditions (e.g., flu vaccination response).
• Expressive writing interventions demonstrated decreased disease activity in asthma and rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Emotional Disclosure through Writing

• Expressive writing as a therapeutic tool where participants reflect on traumatic experiences, which showed reduction in stress and improved health metrics.
• Avoid social threats of disclosure as these writings are personal and not shared unless desired.

Conclusion

• Stress management interventions in health psychology are essential in addressing the psychological and physical impacts of chronic illnesses.
• Ongoing reflection on and evaluation of coping strategies can enhance individual responses to stress, leading to better health outcomes.
• Greater awareness of the interplay between stress, coping strategies, and illness can empower individuals during stressful times.