Ch+3+Stress+and+Cope

7/27/2019 Ch+3+Stress+and+Cope

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How do we define stress? What is stressful to you may not be stressful toothersPerceived stress is different for everyoneThere is no one way to feel or perceive stress Why not just measure physiological responses?These are not the same in everyone eitherThere are short-term and long term stressresponses


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How do we define coping? We all do this differently alsoThere is no one right way to cope with a stressorPeople may actually cope by increasing the stress in

a situationE.g. ignoring vs. facing the stressor


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Arousal and StressOur bodies can adapt to demands required in coping

Circumstances can require both long and short-termchanges in activity levelsHow do body and brain chemistry change in responseto stress and relaxation, and how can this radically alter both mood and motivations


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Stress and the G.A.S.

Hans Selye The non-specific result of any demand upon thebody, be the effect mental or somaticEustress is a positive stressful experience, a state

of physical and psychological well being that isassociated with increased motivation and theacceptance of a challenge. What is essential to well-being is a balance to

produce an optimal level of arousalToo little stress can be as harmful as too muchStress can result from being over or under-stimulated


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General Adaptation Syndromehas 3 stages

1. Emergency or Alarm reaction - immediate needsmust be met, arousal of the SNS and release of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla -release from this is the activation of the PNS andrest

2. Stage of resistance - this is in response to chronicstress and requires that you cope for days, weeksor months - the adrenal cortex is important here

3. Stage of exhaustion - intense stress cannotpersist without cost - bodily failure, illness anddeath follow


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The Physiology of Stress2 major components to the physical response to stress:

Nervous system

Endocrine system


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Structure of the Nervous SystemCentral nervous system is made of:

BrainSpinal cord

Peripheral nervous system is made of:Somatic nervous system

Receives information from the sensory organsControls movements of the skeletal muscles Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

(Primarily serves internal organs)

Has 2 divisions:SympatheticParasympathetic


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Sympathetic Response to StressHypothalamus causes:

Increases arousal in the sympatheticnervous systemIncreased heart rate & blood pressureConstriction of peripheral blood vessels

Respiration rates increaseBronchial tubes dilatePupils dilateDigestive processes decrease

Sympathetic activation prepares thebody for intense motor activity


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Parasympathetic response to stress

Serves regenerative, growth-promoting energy-conserving functions

Its effects include the opposite of the effect of thesympathetic NS

Functions under normal, nonstressful conditions Also activated by the hypothalamus

re-establishes homeostasis in the system

reconstructive process following stressful experienceslows the heart rate & decreases blood pressuredecreases muscle tensionslows respiration

neutralizes fight or flight response


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Structure of the Endocrine System

The endocrine system consists of ductless glands distributedthroughout the body The neuroendocrine system ismade of those endocrine glandsthat are controlled by thenervous systemGland of the endocrine andneuroendocrine system secretechemicals called hormones


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Structure of the Endocrine SystemHormones move into the blood stream to be carriedthroughout the body Specialized receptors on target tissue or organs allowhormones to have specific effects even though they

circulate throughout the body


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Endocrine Response to Stress

Hypothalamus causes:The pituitary gland to secrete adrenocorticotropichormone (ACTH) that stimulates the adrenal cortexSympathetic fibers to directly activate the adrenal

medullaThe adrenal glands are located on top of each kidney Each gland is composed of:

an outer covering: the adrenal cortexan inner part: the adrenal medulla

Both secrete hormones that are important in thestress response


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The hypothalamuscommunicates with the

pituitary gland(corticotropin releasinghormone CRH)

The pituitarycommunicates with theadrenal glands(adrenocortocotropichormone - ACTH)


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The adrenal glands (long-termstress) secrete cortisol which

helps put the body in aready for stress state


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The General Adaptation Syndrome (1)

Defined by Selye in 1956Comprised of 3 stages Alarm

The bodys defences against a stressors aremobilized through activation of the sympatheticNS Activation of the SAM complex Arousal of the sympathetic nervous systemreleases hormones (adrenaline) that helpprepare the body to meet stress and dangerHighly adaptive short term response to anemergency situation


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The General Adaptation Syndrome (2)

Resistance The body enters this stage if the stress isprolonged Activation of the HPA complex Arousal is lowerBut the body continues to draw on internalresources at an above normal rateOutwards appearance seems normalPhysiologically, the bodys internal functioning isnot normalSets the stage for diseases of adaptation

Ex: peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis


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The General Adaptation Syndrome (3)Exhaustion

Continued exposure to the same stressor drains thebody furtherThe capacity to resist is depletedIllness resultsThis stage is characterized by activation of theparasympathetic division of the ANS

But at an abnormally low levelIn severe cases, results in death


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General Health Effects and Chronic Stress

Uncontrollable frustrating forms of chronicstress can bring severe costs to healthProneness to coronary failure has been linkedto "type A" behaviour (urgency, impatience,

competitiveness, ambitiousness, poorfrustration tolerance, aggression) Animal studies show that stomach ulceration isprecipitated by chronic stress by acute shockthat cannot be predictedTumour growth is enhanced by chronic stress inmice


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General Health Effects and Chronic Stress Poor prognosis in human diseases are correlated with lack of social support, fatigue andpsychological depressionElderly people in homes tend to live longer when

there is familial supportGrief can also increase the probability of mortality Widowers studied and 40% more died thanexpected within 6 months of losing their spouseDeath can be postponed in some cases until aftersocially significant events (holidays etc)


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Health Effects and Stress


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Cognitive - Transactional ModelLazarus & Folkman (1984)

Propose that the interpretation of events is moreimportant than the events themselves

It is neither the environmental event nor thepersons response that defines stress

It is the individuals perception of thepsychological situation that defines stress

Stress is a function of the persons feeling of threat, vulnerability, and ability to cope rather than afunction of the stressor

Distinguish three kinds of appraisal


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Primary appraisalInitial evaluation of a situation

3 possible outcomes:Irrelevant

the event has no implication for the individuals well-beingBenign-positive

the event may increase well-beingStressful

the situation is perceived as harmful,threatening, or challenging


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Once stress is perceivedHarm/loss

involves actual significant physical orpsychological losspsychological damage that has already been done

Threat the anticipation of harm or lossallows to anticipate and prepare for the future

Challenge

the event is perceived as stressfulthe focus is on positive excitementrefers to the persons confidence in overcomingdifficult demands


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Secondary AppraisalConcerned with a persons evaluation of his/her

ability to cope with the situationThe individual asks 3 questions:

which coping options are available

the likelihood that one can apply the strategy the likelihood that any given options will work: will reduce stress

Reappraisal continuous reappraisal on the basis of newinformationidentical to the initial process

may lead to more stress


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Coping

People engage in coping behaviours in an effort toreduce or eliminate stress

This has been described as a process by whichpeople try to manage the perceived discrepancy between the demands and resources they appraisein a stressful situation


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Problem-Focused Coping

This has been described as the changing of thesituation by:defining the problem

looking at alternative solutionsevaluating the implications of the alternativesand choosing the best one to act on

E.g. A student might seek out the professor todiscuss how they may reduce the impact of the workload


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Yerkes-Dodson law stress influencesperformance


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Modifying task complexity shifts the curveleft and right


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Emotion-Focussed Coping

consists of controlling and possibly changing theemotional response to an eventcognitive responses such as avoidance orminimizationthe goal is to decrease emotional distressoften used when the individual feels that nothing

can be done about the situation


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Biofeedback This involves the immediate feedback to subjects of physiological measures

Subjects can learn how to control their physiology by playing around with them and observing

outcomes

h d h


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Behaviour and Cognitive therapySystematic desensitization

This involves the training of relaxationtechniques with the gradual introduction of thestressful or phobic stimulus over many sessions


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Biofeedback This involves the immediate feedback to subjects of

physiological measuresSubjects can learn how to control their physiology by playingaround with them and observing outcomes


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Ch+3+Stress+and+Cope

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