UENR Psychology _Stress.pptx

3 Stress, Coping, and Health Kofi Bobi Barimah Psychology of Health and Health Care Toronto Metropolitan University  Lecture Objectives Understand Stress and Coping and its health consequences Understand the differences between Distress and Eustress Explain life events and...

3 Stress, Coping, and Health Kofi Bobi Barimah Psychology of Health and Health Care Toronto Metropolitan University  Lecture Objectives Understand Stress and Coping and its health consequences Understand the differences between Distress and Eustress Explain life events and impact on health Identify Sociological Stress on health Know coping strategies Identify Social Support  Introduction Stress involves some perturbation of the system in response to perceived threat or demand The study of the body’s response to stress was largely launched by two theories: 1. Fight-or-flight response (Cannon, 1929) 2. General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye, 1976)  Good vs Bad Stress Distress: Feeling of having insufficient resources to meet demands of a situation Negative health consequences Eustress: Confronting challenges one can adequately deal with Positive health consequences Connected to notion of optimal arousal  Acute vs Chronic Stress Impact of stress will persist even after stress has passed Difference between stressors could be how many times they recur and how long they last Rumination can turn acute stressors into chronic ones  Stressful Situations Job/primary role Life events Caregiving SES, gender, race  Job and Primary Role Stress Job demands and amount of autonomy Effort–reward imbalance Job demands vs capabilities of employee  Life Events The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) quantifies the general level of stress in a person’s life Does not distinguish between positive and negative events Frequent and minor stressors seem to be more associated with stress than rare and major ones  Caregiver Stress The caretaker’s role is exemplified by relentless responsibility, vigilance, and hassles Can reduce telomere length (marker of cellular aging)  Sociological Stress: SES, Gender, Race Dual roles for women in the workforce Low SES = poor nutrition, smoking Racial bias Poor physical health  Contributors to Stress: The Person Personality dimensions of stress- prone people: Type A personality Anger, hostility, and aggression Negative affectivity (NA) Prone to negative emotions (e.g., anger, fear, disgust, contempt, etc.)  Contributors to Stress: Person and Situation Effort–distress model Events are seen as excessive/out of control Stressfulness of SES might be the combination of available resources and the ways individuals use them i.e., being poor AND living beyond one’s means Stress also depends on the particulars of the person and the situation Traffic enforcement agents: hostile interactions + hostile personality = high levels of stress  Appraisal Primary appraisal: Determination of the magnitude and nature of the threat Secondary appraisal: Determination of the resources available to deal with the threat  Coping Problem-focused coping: Directly addressing the demands of a situation Emotion-focused coping: Addressing the emotions that come with stressful situations Avoidant coping: Ignoring the problem and resulting emotions  Coping, cont’d Ways of Coping Scale (Folkman et al.) 1. Confrontative coping “I tried to get the person to change his/her mind” 2. Distancing “I went on as if nothing had happened” 3. Self-controlling “I tried not to act too hastily” 4. Seeking social support “I talked to someone about how I was  Coping, cont’d Ways of Coping Scale, cont’d 5. Accepting responsibility “I realized I brought the problem on myself ” 6. Escape-avoidance “I slept more than usual” 7. Planful problem-solving “I made a plan of action and followed it” 8. Positive reappraisal “I changed something about myself”  Social Support Social support: a social network in which others care about one’s well- being and provide help and assistance. Help is generally divided into four categories 1. Emotional 2. Instrumental 3. Informational 4. Appraisal support  Social Support, cont’d Main effects model: Social support is generally beneficial to health and well-being (whether we are carefree or stress-ridden) Buffering model: Social support reduces stress and its negative effects on one’s health  The Great Gender Divide Women are more likely to seek social support than men Tend-and-befriend vs. fight-or-flight From an evolutionary perspective, women are physically smaller and weaker, and are often pregnant or caring for small children—a fight-or- flight response is not feasible⏧ Women may have a modified stress response due to the hormone oxytocin Encourages affiliation and caregiving  Other Coping Strategies Emotional disclosure There may be benefits in “discussing” a problem with oneself (e.g., journaling) Exercise Research shows that people who exercise frequently tend to report lower levels of stress, bore studies are needed to explain why  Stress and Mental Health Stress is a major risk factor for depression and anxiety disorders Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Intrusive thoughts, often even when sleeping, of the traumatic event, and this rumination extends the duration of the stressor and multiplies its impact  Stress and Mental Health, cont’d Rumination: fixating and dwelling on events that might be considered minor Predictive of future anxiety and depression Can make depression worse  Stress and Sleep Bidirectional relationship Job-related stress Digital media use Shift-work  Stress Management Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) Biofeedback Relaxation Mindfulness Pharmacological treatments  Social Networking, Stress, and Online Social Support Online social networks do not confer perceived social support benefits the way in-person social support can Both positive and negative effects on stress  Future Directions Connections between stress and health Connections between acute responses and chronic disease Examination of other diseases Design of interventions