14.2 stress and its consequences for health

Question 1

stressors

Answer 1

events that provoke a stress response

Question 2

the stress response

Answer 2

the physiological reactions that occur in stressfull situations

Question 3

richard lazarus

susan folkman

Answer 3

the cognitive appraisal theory of stress

Question 4

the cognitive appraisal theory of stress

primary appraisal

Answer 4

first, stress arises from our thinking of some aspect of the current situation as a threat to us or our goals

• if the primary appraisal doesn’t lead us to conclude that a threat exists we return to a calm and relaxed state
• if we do perceive a threat, that will stimulate the physiological changes that form part of the stress response
• the stress response also has an emotional component, resulting in our experiencing fear, anger, or perhaps even glee

Question 5

secondary appraisal

Answer 5

once the stress response is underway, the next step is to engage in a secondary appraisal
the purpose of the appraisal is to develop a plan of action for dealing with the threat
-ex. if you are terrified of public speaking, but you must do a presentation for a class that might trigger a primary appraisal of a threat, and a stress response. during the secondary appraisal, an effort to resolve the threat might involve practicing to get more comfortable speaking to an audience
-ppl can find themselves in a constant state of stress when there is no way for them to resolve the threat during the secondary appraisal phase

Question 6

common stressors

Answer 6

work
personal safety
social relationships

Question 7

Holmes and Rahe’s social readjustment rating scale

Answer 7

provides a numerical stress value to each type of common stressful event that a person might experience
-collecting 300+ stress points in a year increases a person’s risk for developing heart problems, and other illnesses or infections

Question 8

stress is not always a bad thing

Answer 8

the higher arousal that comes with the stress response tends to help us do better at performing simple tasks

Question 9

choking under pressure

Answer 9

experiencing a stress response when trying to do something difficult

Question 10

walter cannon

Answer 10

called the physical response to stress, the fight or flight response
-he thought that the biological changes that came with stress were for supporting either engaging in battle or running away

Question 11

Hans selye

Answer 11

general adaptation syndrome

Question 12

general adaptation syndrome

Answer 12

stage 1- alarm phase
stage 2- resistance phase
stage 3- exhaustion stage

Question 13

alarm phase

Answer 13

our deciding that there is a threat results in a common arousal response

Question 14

resistance phase

Answer 14

corresponds to the secondary appraisal phase

-seek a plan for dealing with the stressor that has put us into the alarm phase, then we will carry out that plan

Question 15

exhaustion phase

Answer 15

if we are not able to resolve the source of our stress reaction

• in this phase are systems are too depleted to maintain the heightened level of arousal that we have achieved to give us the extra resources that we need to perceive threat
• at this point the strength of our arousal will eventually vanish

Question 16

alarm phase begins in the brains..

Answer 16

hypothalamus, once hypothalamus receives info there is a threat that structure pulls the alarm by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system part of our autonomic nervous system

• in turn in inner part of the adrenal glands (adrenal medulla) secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine-> hormones that increase heart rate, perspiration, blood flow to muscles (physiological arousal)
• at the same time the hypothalamus stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, it also heightens arousal by participating in a neural circuit called the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis)

Question 17

hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis)

Answer 17

hypothalamus releases corticotrophin which stimulates anterior pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotrophic hormone. adrenal cortex detects the hormone and then releases hormone cortisol- suppress immune system (reduce inflammation,) increase availability of blood sugar

Question 18

chronic stress

Answer 18

is a serious health risk

Question 19

gender difference in stress response

Answer 19

diff happens in secondary appraisal phase
males usually engage in fight or flight repossess when under stress
females are more likely to engage in tend and befriend responses during stressful situations

Question 20

Oxytocin

Answer 20

a hormone that seems important for generating feelings of trust, closeness and attachment toward other ppl

• women are more likely than men to secrete this hormone during stressful events
• heightened levels seem to suppress arousal-related hormones, such as adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol

Question 21

vasopressin

Answer 21

is a hormone that suppresses the release of arousal related hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine

Question 22

ppl who are happy in their social relationships have higher levels of

Answer 22

oxytocin and vasopressin coursing through their veins

Question 23

in a study of married couples,

Answer 23

couples who interacted in a positive way had higher levels of oxytocin and vasopressin than couples who had fewer positive and supportive responses to one another
-blister wounds healed more quickly in the participants with higher levels of oxytocin and vasopressin

Question 24

psychoneuroimmunology

Answer 24

a blood analysis of medical students revealed that heir immune systems were weaker during the more stressful final exam period than earlier in the term

Question 25

coronary heart disease

Answer 25

the more stress a person experiences in their life, the more at risk they are for developing this disease

• a study of 12000 men across 9 years revealed that chronic stress placed participants at a 30% higher risk of developing heart disease
• stress causes the cardiovascular system to work too hard for too long which causes damage to the arteries

Question 26

female participants were asked to solve anagrams and had an opportunity to snack while they did the task

Answer 26

those participants with higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, also consumed more of the unhealthy snacks
snacking on fatty or sugary goods stimulates the reward systems that rely on the neurotransmitter dopamine
the stress reaction suppresses these pleasure centers, so snacking on empty calories might be a way for us to correct the imbalance

Question 27

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Answer 27

high norepinephrine levels (caused by chronic stress) can worsen the health of ppl with aids

Question 28

Human immunodeficiency virus HIV

Answer 28

HIV is the virus that can lead to AIDS, the treatment for HIV positive individuals is less effective when they experience higher levels of stress

Question 29

cancer and stress

Answer 29

elevated stress hormones enable cancer cells to grow faster and weaken our immune system response to cancerous cells

Question 30

Type A personality

Answer 30

high on impatience and anxiety, they get frustrated and angry easily, extremely competitive, and extremely devoted to achieving at a high level

Question 31

Type B personality

Answer 31

very easy going, non competitive, very patient and are not particularly motivated to achieve the highest level

Question 32

people classified as type A are somewhat more likely than those classified as type B to develop ____________

Answer 32

coronary heart disease and to suffer from strokes
-however, the problem might be when type A ppl respond with frequent hostility when they experience stressful reactions or because they respond with unhealthy behaviours, like overeating, overconsumption of drugs and alcohol and not getting enough sleep

Question 33

stress

Answer 33

a reaction that arises from the perception that our abilities or mental resources are insufficient for meeting the demands of a situation
-thinking that we wont have enough time to meet our obligations is one common cause of stress reactions