Stress and Health
Stress & Health Notes
Page 1: Introduction to Stress
Introduction to clinical, developmental, social, and personality psychology.
Topic focus: Stress and its implications on health.
Page 4: Fundamental Definitions
Stress: Physical and psychological responses to stressors, either internal or external.
Stressors: Events or continuous pressures that challenge a person’s well-being.
Health Psychology: Subfield examining the relationship between physical and psychological health.
Page 5: Stress as an Adaptive Response
Stress evolves as a response to threats.
Stress leads to:
Activating adrenal glands
Increased cortisol levels → more glucose in the bloodstream
Higher heart and respiration rates → increased oxygen availability
This response supports fight or flight mechanisms.
Page 6: General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Developed by Hans Selye, GAS includes three phases:
Alarm Phase: Initial reaction (fight or flight).
Resistance Phase: Body adapts; non-essential processes shut down.
Exhaustion Phase: Body cannot maintain response; potential for illness, injury, or death.
Page 8: Stress-Psychological Health Correlation
There is a significant correlation between psychological stress and physical illness. Consider situations when stress has preceded illness.
Page 9: Stress Scales
Identify stressors predicting health issues using stress scales.
Notable scale: Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale which assigns points based on stressful life events.
Page 10: Holmes-Rahe Stress Scale
Developed by Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe.
Involved self-reporting of stressful events and correlation with medical records confirmed high correlation between stress and illness.
Page 11: Cultural Validity of Stress Scales
Stressors vary in severity across cultures; the interpretation of stressful events may differ.
Page 12: Chronic Stress
Chronic stressors are ongoing sources of stress, affecting health significantly.
Chronic stress results in constant activation of stress responses.
Page 13: Effects of Chronic Stress
Continuous stress leads to exhaustion similar to the exhaustion phase of GAS.
Page 14: Perceived Control over Stress
Control perception alters stress impact: Events we cannot control increase stress levels.
Example: Crowded room from which one cannot escape vs. one they can.
Page 15: Control Study by Glass & Singer (1972)
Study involving participants solving puzzles amid noise:
Group with no control over noise performed worse than those with control.
Conclusion: Perceived control affects stress response.
Page 16: Appraisal of Stressors
Primary Appraisal: Determining if an event is threatening.
Secondary Appraisal: Evaluating one’s ability to cope with the stressor.
Effective coping is linked to perceptions of control and available coping resources.
Page 17: Appraisal Example
Example of a student:
Primary: Can't affect my grade
Secondary: Could change my grade.
Page 18: Coping with Stressors Overview
Six methods for coping with stressors outlined.
Page 19: 1. Repressive Coping
Involves avoiding thoughts or situations that elicit stress, sometimes leading to positive viewpoints.
Effectiveness varies; if repression fails, it may worsen the problem.
Page 20: 2. Rational Coping
Involves confronting and working through stressors. Steps include:
Acceptance: Recognizing stressors cannot be avoided.
Exposure: Actively engaging with stressors.
Understanding: Seeking personal meaning behind stressors.
Page 21: 3. Reframing
Changing perspectives on stressors to alter their impact.
Stress Inoculation Training: Developing positive self-talk to face stressors.
Page 22: 4. Meditation
Focus on, or absence of, thought promotes relaxation.
Includes various practices like mindfulness meditation, which emphasizes present experiences over distractions.
Page 23: Benefits of Meditation
Improves brain structure and connectivity in emotional regulation areas, enhancing emotional control in practitioners (Brewer et al., 2011).
Page 24: 5. Relaxation Techniques
Stress leads to habitual muscle tension.
Methods to consciously reduce muscle tension contribute to overall tranquility.
Page 25: Biofeedback for Relaxation
Utilizes technology to provide feedback on muscle tension or brainwave activity.
Page 26: 6. Exercise
Aerobic exercise is correlated with reduced stress and enhanced mood.
Studies on causation should include random assignments and control over stress factors.
Page 27: Causation of Exercise Effects
Exercise linked to increases in serotonin and endorphin production, potentially improving mental health and reducing perceived stress.