© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 1

Stress and Health

13

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 2

Stress: Challenges to Coping• Sources of stress

– Life events• Crime, sexual assault, and violence• Loss of a family member• Natural disasters• Terrorism• Daily hassles

• Strong link between stressful life events and physical illness

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 3

Social Readjustment Rating Scale

Event M value Event M value

Death of spouse 100 Child leaves home 29

Divorce 73 In-law trouble 29

Marital separation 65 Begin/end school 26

Jail term 63 Spouse begins work 26

Marriage 50 Trouble with boss 23

Fired at work 47 Work changes 20

Retirement 45 Change in schools 20

Pregnancy 40 Sleep habit change 16

Sex difficulties 39 Vacation 13

Loan foreclosure 31 Christmas 12

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 4

Percent of seriously depressed widows

and widowers

Number of months since death of a spouse

13 months2 months 7 months

10

20

30

0Not widowed

Widowed

The death of a spouse is a severe stressor leading to serious depression

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 5

Stress• Frustration

– When serious or prolonged, becomes major source of stress

• Conflict– Two or more motives cannot be satisfied

because they interfere with one another• Approach-approach conflict• Avoidance-avoidance conflict• Approach-avoidance conflict• Multiple approach-avoidance conflict

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 6

Strong

Strength of motive to

approach or avoid

Near

Weak

FarDistance from goal

Approach gradient

Avoidance gradient

Approach-avoidance conflict

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 7

Jump sequence

5

10

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

0

15

2

Con

duct

ance

in m

icro

ohm

s

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 141 13

Con

trol

day

Rea

chin

g ai

rpor

t

Pre

- ch

eck

o ut

In a

irc r

a ft

Tax

i , b

egin

Tax

i, en

d

En

gin

e w

arm

up

, beg

in

En

gin

e w

arm

up

, en

d

Tak

eoff

Mid

poi

nt

alti

tud

e

Landing

Air

bor

ne

1,00

0 fe

et

Final altitude

Approach-avoidance conflict of jumping

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 8

Stress

• Pressure – Arises from threats of negative events

• Environmental conditions– Aspects like temperature, air pollution, noise,

and humidity can be sources of stress– Visits for psychological problems were higher

during days of high air pollution– More emergency visits for depression during

cloudy, humid days

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 9

General Aspects of Stress Reactions

• People feel stress and react to it– React to stress as a whole – both

psychological and physiological reactions

– Psychological and bodily reactions to stress are highly similar

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 10

Cortisol

Hypothalamus

Pituitary

Heart

Liver

Adrenal gland

Sympathetic outflow

EpinophrineNorepinophrine

Stress and the body’s response:

Flight or fight?

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 11

General Aspects of Stress Reactions

Physical reactions

– General Adaptation Syndrome

• Alarm reaction

• Resistance stage

• Exhaustion stage

– Healthy and unhealthy aspects of GAS

Stress and Health

Psychological reactions

– Changes in emotions, motivations, cognitions

– Anxiety

– Depression

– Anger, irritability

– Change in appetite and interest for sex

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 12

Exhaustion stage

Res

ista

nce

to s

tres

s

Resistance stageAlarm reaction

First stress reaction

Normal level

Second stress reaction

Changes in resistance during the three stages of general adaptation syndrome

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 13

Stress• Stress, depression, the GAS, and immune

system– Immune system – Stress and depression reduce effectiveness of

immune system– As one ages, effects of stress are stronger– Psychological treatments such as stress

management can restore immune system– High levels of depression common when

undergoing stress

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 14

Factors Influencing Reactions to Stress

• Prior experience with stress

• Developmental factors– Impact of stress and age when occurring linked

• Predictability and control– Usually events less stressful when predictable

due to perception of having some control– Lack of perceived control has significant health

consequences and ill effects

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 15

Social Support

• Social support acts as buffer against stress

– Persons with good social support are less likely to react to negative life events with depression, anxiety, and health problems

– Ability to get it off your chest is therapeutic (being ill less often) BUT there are risks associated with this behavior (revealing one’s personal information to others)

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 16

Personal Factors in Reactions to Stress

• Cognitive factors– Perceptions: people think and interpret things

differently

• Personality characteristics– Important influence on health consequences– Type A personality

• Associated (indirectly linked) with increased risk of coronary heart disease

• Psychotherapy can reduce hostility

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 17

Type A Personality

• Highly competitive, hard-driving; ambitious in work, sports, and games

• Works hurriedly, rushing with sense of urgency, multitasks

• Workaholic, no time off • Perfectionist and demanding

• Speaks loud or explosively; often hostile, aggressive, angry with others

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 18

Personal Factors in Reactions to Stress• Gender differences

– Women more likely to have lasting reactions to traumatic events; at more risk for exposure

– Marriage and committed relationships have health benefits• Social buffer against stress• Live healthier, longer lives on average• Loss of spouse affects men more • Maybe marriage is choice of healthier people

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 19

Personal Factors in Reactions to Stress

• Gender differences– Fight-or-flight important to both sexes– Men more likely to use fight-or-flight response– Women more likely to tend-and-befriend

• Creates alliances for future if reoccurrence• Average response to workplace stress

– Mothers more nurturing to children– Fathers more grouchy or withdrawn

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 20

Personal Factors in Reactions to Stress

• Ethnic differences– Minority groups experience more stress

• Few advantages and opportunities• Stressful interactions with majority culture

due to stereotypes, discrimination, prejudice• Rapid acculturation of immigrant children

clash with family pressures to maintain old culture (ie: language, customs)

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 21

Coping with Stress• Effective coping

– Removing stress – make changes– Cognitive coping with reappraisal– Managing stress reactions

• Ineffective coping– Withdrawal– Aggression– Self-medication– Defense mechanisms

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 22

Defense Mechanisms

– Projection

– Regression

– Rationalization

– Repression

– Denial

Stress and Health

– Displacement

– Sublimination

– Reaction formation

– Intellectualization and distortion of reality

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 23

Changing Health Patterns

• Learning to relax – Progressive relaxation training

• Eating right, exercising, and following doctor’s orders– Improve eating habits

• Diets and balanced meals– Regular aerobic exercises – keep fit– Medical compliance – prescribed medications

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 24

Human Diversity• Psychology and women’s health

– Health concerns– Changes in high-risk behavior– Different equation between health behaviors

and illnesses• Avoid smoking, excessive alcohol, obesity,

STDs, fatty diets• Employment differences for women

– Other sociocultural factors• Ethnicity, sexual orientation, reproduction

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 25

Safety Management

• Prevention – Disease and illness– Accidents; major cause of disability and death

• Be alert, cautious• Use seat belts in vehicles• Don’t drink and drive• Workplace safety and training

– Use of safety equipment

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 26

Benefits of Health Psychology

• Positive health practices– Moderate or no use of alcohol– Sleep 7 to 8 hours per night– Never or rarely eating between meals– Being near or at ideal weight for your height– Regular physical exercise– Never smoking cigarettes– Eating breakfast almost every day

Stress and Health

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 27

Perc

ent o

f de

aths

dur

ing

5½ y

ears

75+Under 55 55 - 74

25

Age in years

50

75

100

0

6-7 Positive health behaviors

0-3 Positive health behaviors

4-5 Positive health behaviors

Positive Health Practices in Females

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 28

Positive Health Practices in Males

Perc

ent o

f de

aths

dur

ing

5½ y

ears

75+Under 55 55 - 74

25

Age in years

50

75

100

0

6-7 Positive health behaviors

0-3 Positive health behaviors

4-5 Positive health behaviors

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Slide 29

The End

13Stress and Health