Measurement of Stress

Measurement of Stress

• Date: Tuesday, January 20

Reminders

• HW 1 is due this Thursday 1/22

Types of Stressors

Definition

• Stressors are events or conditions that can trigger a stress response.

Categories of Stressors

• Acute Stressors

  • Definition: Demands and pressures from the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of the near future.

  • Characteristics: Short-term, can lead to immediate stress responses.

• Chronic Stressors

  • Definition: Unrelenting demands and pressures that last for seemingly interminable periods.

  • Characteristics: Long-lasting, can lead to prolonged stress responses.

• Traumatic Life Events

  • Definition: Sudden, powerful events that severely tax the adaptive abilities of individuals exposed to them.

  • Can be categorized as acute or chronic stressors.

Acute vs. Chronic Stressors

Differences in Stress

• Duration of Event Exposure

  • Acute stressors: Brief exposure.

  • Chronic stressors: Prolonged exposure.

• Duration of Perceived Threat

  • Acute stressors often perceived as short-lived.

  • Chronic stressors lead to a sustained perception of threat.

• Duration of Stress Response

  • Acute stress response: Short-lived bodily reaction.

  • Chronic stress response: Ongoing physiological and psychological effects.

Traumatic Life Events

Collective vs. Individual Traumas

• Collective Traumas

  • Definition: Events that affect entire communities with widespread effects.

• Individual Traumas

  • Definition: Events that impact individuals or small groups of people.

Research Challenges

• Difficulty in establishing a “pre-stressor” baseline for individuals.

• Recruitment challenges for studies; often a small sample size leading to bias.

• Common methods: Comparing groups with and without exposure to trauma.

Measuring Stress

Methods of Measurement

Self-Report Measures

• Definition: Tools such as questionnaires or interviews to assess general stress, hassles, and significant life events.

• Pros:

  • Easy to administer.

  • Inexpensive.

• Cons:

  • Subjectivity in responses.

  • Recall bias; reliability affected by social desirability.

Physiological Measures

• Definition: Objective measurements obtained from the body's responses to stress, such as blood pressure and hormones.

• Pros:

  • Objective and direct.

  • Reliable across different individuals.

• Cons:

  • Often expensive.

  • Testing conditions can induce stress.

Self-Report: General Stress

Perceived Stress Scale

• Purpose: Measures feelings and thoughts about stress in the past month.

• Instructions: Respondents circle frequency of experiences from 0 (Never) to 4 (Very Often).

Questions Include:

1. Have you been upset due to something unexpected?

2. Felt unable to control important aspects of life?

3. Felt nervous and stressed?

4. Felt confident about personal problem handling?

5. Felt things were going your way?

6. Could not cope with all responsibilities?

7. Managed to control irritations?

8. Felt on top of things?

9. Angered by outside uncontrollable factors?

10. Felt overwhelmed by difficulties?

Scoring Calculation

• Reverse code items 4, 5, 7, and 8:

  • 0 → 4

  • 1 → 3

  • 2 remains 2

  • 3 → 1

  • 4 → 0

• Total score range: 0 – 40

Self-Report: Hassles or Daily Stressors

Daily Hassles Scale (Revised)

• Question Examples:

  • Have you experienced regrets over past decisions?

  • Fear of rejection?

  • Trouble making decisions?

  • Not enough money for essentials?

  • Social obligations?

• Purpose: To assess ongoing stressors experienced daily.

Self-Report: Life Events

Life Event Inventories

• Purpose: Assess major life events and their adjustment impact.

• Cumulative Impact: Events can be weighted based on their adjustment demands.

Social Readjustment Rating Scale

• Note: Add more to complete this table as necessary.

Student Life Stress Scale

• Note: Continue adding based on student-related stress events.

Life Events and Trauma

Measuring Individual Responses

• Can assess both appraisal and emotional responses to stressors.

• Important distinction between objective vs. subjective stress definitions.

Problems with Measuring Major Life Events

• Assumption that minor events do not affect overall stress.

• Retrospective nature makes recalling events difficult.

• Omits many day-to-day stressors experienced by individuals.

• Measurement bias can arise based on current circumstances and feelings.

Laboratory Stressors

Description

• Subject to standardized stressors in controlled environments.

• Advantages:

  • Provides clear physiological responses to stress.

  • Controlled circumstances of stress induction.

• Disadvantages:

  • Results may not generalize to real-world scenarios.

Physiological Measures

Types of Measurements

• Blood Pressure: Systolic (SYS) and Diastolic (DIA) measurements in mmHg.

• Electrocardiogram (ECG): Measurement of heart activity.

• Galvanic Skin Response: Measurement of skin conductance as an indicator of stress.

• Stress Hormones: Assessed through saliva analysis.

Recommendations for Stress Measures

• Importance of specific language when describing stress measures.

• Need to differentiate between stressor exposures and stress responses.

• Consideration of types of stress concerning timescale.

• Steps for choosing appropriate stress measures as per research by Crosswell & Lockwood (2020).