Stress Exam 1 Study Guide PDF

Simone Assil Module 1: Stress in the Body and Mind Defining stress and stress responses -​ Individual perspective: physiological and psychological approach -​ Relational perspective: family stress theory, coping at different levels, and communication-based approach -​ Physiological d...

Simone Assil Module 1: Stress in the Body and Mind Defining stress and stress responses -​ Individual perspective: physiological and psychological approach -​ Relational perspective: family stress theory, coping at different levels, and communication-based approach -​ Physiological definition: chemical and bodily changes as a result of a wide variety of causes. The organism undergoes a generalized physiological response in its effort to adapt to the demands (General Adaptation syndome) -​ GAS: stage 1: alarm reaction stage 2: resistance or adaptation stage 3: exhaustion -​ ANS: governs all parts of the body that operate automatically ​ Sympathetic: stress ​ Parasympathetic: calm -​ When stress circuit is activated: 1.​ Cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline released 2.​ Heart rate, breathing, perspiration increased 3.​ Immune system suppressed 4.​ Fats and sugar released for energy 5.​ Blood flow diverted from non essential systems -​ Immune function depends on the duration of stressor -​ Psychological definition: -​ Stimulus approach: stress as an event that impinges on us (natural diaster) -​ Relational approach: stress as particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and possibly endangering his or her well being Different types of stressors -​ Valence ​ Eustress: Positive or “good stress” that enhances performance and can leave us feeling motivated or excited. It can improve physical health and coping abilities. ​ Distress: Negative or “bad stress” that overwhelms coping abilities, leading to fatigue, health issues, and relationship problems.  -​ Duration ​ Acute Stressors: Sudden, short-term stressors that require immediate adjustment (e.g., a job interview). ​ Chronic Stressors: Long-term stressors that require prolonged adjustments and can lead to wear and tear on the body (e.g., financial difficulties). -​ Absolute vs. Relative Stressors ​ Absolute Stressors: Universally perceived as stressful (e.g., natural disasters). ​ Relative Stressors: Stressful depending on individual perception (e.g., traffic or work deadlines). Perceived Stress Scale -​ The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) measures the degree to which situations in life are perceived as stressful. -​ How it Works: ​ Participants rate their feelings over the past month. ​ Responses to specific items (4, 5, 7, and 8) are reversed and then summed up for a total score. ​ Purpose: Helps individuals understand their stress levels and compare their scores with norms. ​ Encourages reflection on whether results align with their expectations. Helping Mom’s and Dad’s with Stress -​ NUTS Criteria: Stress occurs when at least one of these is present: 1.​ Novelty: Something new or unfamiliar. 2.​ Unpredictability: Uncertainty about future events. 3.​ Threat to Ego: A challenge to self-esteem. 4.​ Sense of Low Control: Feeling powerless in a situation. -​ Spillover Effect: Stress from one domain (e.g., work) can affect other areas (e.g., family life). -​ Tools to Decrease Stress: ​ Recognize the source of stress (use NUTS criteria). ​ Build resilience (e.g., have backup plans, adapt to uncontrollable aspects).  ​ Engage in activities like belly breathing, movement, or laughter to reduce stress responses. Module 2: Stress and the Family Defining family and family characteristics -​ Definitions of Family: ​ Traditional Definition: A group bound by blood or law, living together in a household. ​ Perception-Based Definition (Turner & West, 2006): A self-defined group of intimates who create and maintain themselves through interaction, marked by intimacy, group identity, and interaction. -​ Key Family Characteristics: ​ Intimacy: Members are interdependent and committed to maintaining the family bond. ​ Group Identity: Boundaries define who is part of the family. ​ Interaction: Communication and interaction establish intimacy and group identity. Family stress and family crisis -​ Family Stress: ​ A normal, inescapable part of family life, sometimes beneficial. ​ Becomes problematic when it causes dissatisfaction or disturbance in the family system. -​ Family Crisis: ​ Occurs when the family lacks resources or perceives a stressor as beyond their coping ability. ​ Leads to disorganization, conflict, and strained relationships, requiring significant adaptation to recover. The family as a system and family system theory characteristics ​ Family as a System: ​ Stress affecting one member influences the entire family unit. ​ Families adjust and adapt to stressors collectively. ​ Characteristics of Family Systems Theory: -​ Interdependence: Changes in one part affect the whole system. -​ Wholeness: Unique family traits emerge from member interactions.  -​ Patterns/Regularities: Predictable rituals and communication rules. -​ Interactive Complexity: Cause-and-effect relationships are hard to pinpoint. -​ Openness: Families interact with the external environment for growth. -​ Complex Relationships: Families consist of various subsystems. -​ Equifinality: Families achieve goals through diverse paths. Theoretical approaches to the study of family stress -​ ABC-X Model of Family Crisis (Reuben Hill): ​ Factors determining family outcomes: -​ A: Stressor itself. -​ B: Family resources. -​ C: Family’s perception of the stressor. ​ Outcome: Whether the family enters a crisis. -​ Double ABC-X Model: ​ Adaptation: Post-crisis functioning levels (better, same, or worse). ​ Adds layers to the ABC-X model: -​ aA: Pile-up of stressors. -​ bB: New resources added. -​ cC: Changed perceptions of the crisis. -​ FAAR Model (Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response): ​ Adjustment Phase: Families attempt to cope with existing resources. ​ Adaptation Phase: Recovery involves restructuring family dynamics post-crisis. -​ Contextual Model of Family Stress (Pauline Boss): ​ Emphasizes circular, not linear, family processes. ​ Highlights differing family values, beliefs, and the influence of identity factors like age, gender, and culture. Different types of stressors -​ Valence: ​ Eustress: Positive stress (motivational, goal-oriented). ​ Distress: Negative stress (overwhelming, harmful). -​ Duration: ​ Acute: Sudden and short-term. ​ Chronic: Prolonged, ongoing.  -​ Causality: ​ Internal: Originates from within the family (e.g., addiction, relocation). ​ External: Originates from the environment (e.g., natural disasters). -​ Predictability: ​ Developmental Stressors: Natural lifecycle events (e.g., marriage, children). ​ Unpredictable Stressors: Unexpected events (e.g., accidents, job loss). Understanding Ambiguous loss -​ Definition (Pauline Boss): -​ Occurs when a family member is: ​ Physically absent but psychologically present (e.g., missing person). ​ Physically present but psychologically absent (e.g., dementia). -​ Challenges: ​ Lacks closure, leaving families in a state of unresolved grief. ​ Can lead to stress, anxiety, and difficulty moving forward. Module 3: Coping with Family Stress Defining coping -​ Coping- as constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of a person Mutual or dyadic coping -​ Both partners must agree that the event is stressful to both of them; thus both individuals share the burden of coping. -​ Dyadic Coping Strategies- all involve communication ​ Positive dyadic coping (such as offers of support) ​ Common dyadic coping (such as joint problemsolving) ​ Negative dyadic coping (such as support accompanied by mockery) Types of coping strategies: Forms, functions, levels -​ Coping strategies- The behaviors we use to manage stress and protect ourselves from psychological harm. -​ Three FORMS of coping: 1.​ Active-behavioral- overt behavioral attempts to deal directly with the problem.  2.​ Active-cognitive- efforts to manage how we appraise the stressor or the event. 3.​ Avoidance- attempts to avoid confronting the problem -​ Criticism: Difficult to determine whether a behavior is approach- or avoidance oriented and leaves out other forms of coping. -​ Four FUNCTIONS of coping: 1.​ Problem-focused -​ Behaviors aimed at managing or altering the problem -​ Likely to occur when we appraise the stressor as something that can be changed/dealt with -​ Problem solving, coordinating roles, seeking assistance or information from outside of the family 2.​ Emotion-focused -​ Cognition or behaviors directed at regulating the emotional response of the problem -​ Likely to occur when we think the stress is out of our control -​ Avoidance, minimization, distancing, or selective attention (cognitive responses); drinking or exercising (behavioral responses) 3.​ Meaning-focused -​ Cognitive strategies to manage the meaning of a stressful encounter -​ Occurs when we try to alter the perspective and redefine the challenge or problem as something manageable -​ Reframing or redefining, interpreting the situation through a new lens (e.g., through the lens of spiritual/religious beliefs) 4.​ Relationship-focused -​ Altering the way in which relational partners interact. -​ Active engagement (e.g., direct discussions with significant other), protective buffering (e.g., hiding bad news from the significant other) ​ Functions of Coping ​ Criticism: -​ Disregards the diversity of strategies within these categories  ​ Certain strategies can fulfill multiple functions at the same time ​ Three LEVELS of coping: -​ Solitary Coping ​ Strategies we enact at the individual level ​ Revised Ways of Coping Questionnaire (Folkman et al., 1986): Confrontative coping, Distancing, Selfcontrolling, Seeking social support, Accepting responsibility, Escape-avoidance, Planful problemsolving and Positive reappraisal -​ Social Coping ​ Seeking support from others in our social network ​ For emotional support, esteem support, network support, informational support, tangible assistance, appraisal support -​ Communal Coping ​ When multiple individuals pool their resources and efforts ​ One or more of the members must perceive the problem/stress as “our” problem/stress and “our” responsibility Stress is the Norm: It’s How You Cope with it that Matters -​ Principles of Coping With Chronic Stress 1.​ Focus on a specific situation rather than total stress context 2.​ Ask what made it feel stressful 3.​ Distinguish changeable and unchangeable aspects of situation 4.​ Fit the coping to the situation -​ Coping Strategies that Create Positive Emotions 1.​ Goal revision 2.​ Creating positive moments 3.​ Benefit finding 4.​ Focus on what matters Additional strategies -​ AGE: 1.​ Amplify positive events 2.​ Gratitude journal 3.​ Engage in acts of kindness 31 Module 4: Communication within the Stress and Coping Processes Defining communication  -​ Communication: A symbolic process through which meaning is made. ​ Symbolic ​ Process ​ Meaning-making ​ Communication is a dynamic, complex, and fluid process that changes over time and across relationships The Communication-Based Coping Model -​ Katheryn Maguire -​ Stressor ​ Communication as a source of stress ​ Unmet communication or relational needs ​ Troubled relationships ​ Stress-provoking messages or interactions ​ Examples: Hurtful messages, social allergens, teasing ​ Communication as a source of stress ​ Unmet communication or relational needs ​ Troubled relationships ​ Stress-provoking messages or interactions ​ Examples: Hurtful messages, social allergens, teasing ​ Communication as a symptom of stress ​ A family crisis can influence the communication among family members. ​ Examples: Emotional distancing, act out against one another verbally and physically -​ Perception ​ Family members collectively construct meanings through interaction as they share life experiences and talk with one another about these experiences. ​ Examples: Stories and narratives -​ Coping ​ Coping strategies enacted via communication -​ Examples: Topic avoidance, journaling, information-seeking, protective buffering, cooperation and joint problem-solving, humor, communal coping, social support  ​ Maintenance-focused coping -​ Examples: Positivity, assurances, openness, togetherness, affectionate expression ​ Communication coping paradoxes- communication coping strategies can have negative, often unintended consequences. ​ Examples: -​ Emotional distancing -​ Protective buffering -​ Discrepancy in communication coping patterns -​ Demand/withdrawal pattern -​ Resource ​ Social support ​ Family communication (Ritchie, 1991) -​ Conversation Orientation -​ Conformity Orientation -​ outcome ​ Maladaptation- can be a symptom of unresolved problems in the family. ​ Adaptation or Bonadaptation- improved family communication can be a long-term outcome of the coping process. Family climates -​ High conversation: low comformity = pluralistic -​ High conversation: high conformity = consenual -​ Low conversation: low conformity = Laissez-faire -​ Low conversation: high conformity = protective Effective Parenting Communication Skills -​ 10 Communication Tools for Preschoolers 1.​ Catch Your Child Being Good 2.​ What To Do vs. What Not To Do 3.​ 5 Minute Warning 4.​ The Art of Re-Direction 5.​ Not a Choice 6.​ My Turn / Your Turn 7.​ Be Consistent 8.​ Timer, Timer, Timer  9.​ Busy Toys 10.​Use Your Words Skills for Healthy Romantic Relationships -​ Insight -​ Mutuality -​ Emotion regulation > Form the basis for romantic competence Module 5: Stress and Communication in Romantic Relationships Dyadic stress and dyadic coping -​ Bodenmann -​ Dyadic stress- a stressful event or encounter that always concerns both partners, either ​ directly when both partners are confronted by the same stressful event or when the stress originates inside the couple, or ​ indirectly when the stress spills over to the close relationship and affects both partners. -​ In both cases dyadic stress elicits joint coping efforts, or cooperative use of common resources (dyadic coping). -​ Classification of Dyadic Stress ​ Dyadic stress can be classified along three dimensions: 1.​ the way each partner is affected by the stressful event 2.​ the origin of stress 3.​ the time sequence. Couples’ Stress Models -​ Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model ​ Karney & Bradbury ​ Marital distress and dissolution emerge from the combination of: 1.​ Enduring vulnerabilities 2.​ Stressful events 3.​ Poor adaptive processes -​ Stress-Divorce Model ​ Bodenmann  ​ Focuses on the impact of minor daily stress on couples functioning and how these mediators co-vary with relationship satisfaction and the likelihood of divorce. ​ Assumes that minor stresses originating outside the relationship and spilling over into marriage are particularly deleterious for close relationships. -​ Comparison Stress Models: 1.​ ABC-X Model 2.​ Vulnerability-Stress Model 3.​ Stress-Divorce Model Making Marriage Work -​ Balance of Positivity and Negativity -​ 90% accuracy which couples will stay together and which will divorce ​ Discussion of a continuing couple conflict Ratio of positivity and negativity -​ 0.8:1 ratio in couples that got divorced -​ 5:1 ratio in couples that stayed together The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 1.​ Criticism (vs complain) 2.​ Defensiveness (vs accept responsibility) -​ Rageous indignation -​ Act like an innocent victim 3.​ Contempt (vs respect/appreciation) > single best predictor of divorce 4.​ Stonewalling (vs presence) Ingredients for Intimate Relationships -​ Three ingredients: 1.​ Love maps 2.​ Fondness and admiration 3.​ Emotional connection and turning toward -​ Positive (vs negative) sentiment override -​ Positive sentiment override: 1.​ Buffer against irritability and emotional distance 2.​ Basis for good sex, romance and passion 3.​ Helps to have a recovery conversion after a fight Problems in Romantic Relationships -​ About 69% are perpetual problems: May lead to “gridlock” - become a dreamcatcher -​ About 31% are solvable problems: Positive ways to solve problems - Gentleness, softened start-up, accepting influence, compromise, calming down, and shared meaning