Health Psychology Lecture 4 Stress I Meaning Impact Sources I A B Stress and Illness Stress physical strain or psychological strain 1 Adjustment to new circumstances 2 Does not always lead to illness Cognitive appraisal 1 Lazarus and Folkman 1984 a Appraisal rather than objective circumstances b c How we perceive the stressor Emphasized psychological events 1 Depends on aspect of situation and characteristics of person 2 Stress has two phases tive side effects a Primary appraisal determination of whether an event has any potential nega b Secondary appraisal determination of whether one has abilities and re sources to overcome threat of harm 1 Do I have the resources to cope with this C Models of stress and illness 1 Illness behavior model a Response to stressful events sick role b Exhibiting illness behaviors skip class make myself tea etc 2 Stress and unhealthy behavior model a Stress leads to unhealthy behaviors in attempt to cope with stress b For ex stress eating 1 2 2 3 overeat 1 3 under eat c Sweet and fatty foods reduces stress response 3 Physiological stress and illness model a Direct link between stress and disease 1 Life events physiological reactions disease illness 4 Diathesis stress model a In order for disease to develop person must have diathesis and stress b A person that is not genetically predisposed to heart disease but prone to stress will not develop heart disease c OR a person that undergoes little stress but have a genetic predisposition will not II A develop heart disease How does stress effect the body Selye 1 General adaption syndrome 2 Body responds to noxious stimuli by arousal of system defenses 3 Three stages a Alarm body mobilizes b c Exhaustion physical resources are depleted Resistance efforts to take action to overcome stress B Physiological stress and illness model 1 Stress adrenal glands release catecholamines impaired immune functioning a Evidence that stress is followed by depressed immune functioning 1 Logan et al 1998 rates daily stress for 3 months cold sore out breaks recorded 2 Stress cardiovascular disorders a Uchino et al 1995 women asked to complete tricky math problems b Potential mechanisms 1 2 3 Stress blood pressure increase Heart Disease Stress cytokines inflammation CAD Stress corticosteroids damage to arteries arterial plaque III Measuring stress Life change brings changes in how individual lives and required considerable adapta A 3 Cardiovascular reactivity a Reaction to stress b Individual difference variable tion 1 Social readjustment rating scale a Holmes and Rahe 1967 b c Mean values added up d Positive or negative events Life change illness 2 Problems a Experiences can be so different 1 Change in financial state could be very positive or very negative or in significantly positive negative B Daily Hassles minor annoying events which require some degree of adjustment 1 DeLongis Folkman and Lazarus 1988 2 Daily hassles negative cumulative effects on health 3 Hassles Scale Kanner et al 1981 a Measures hassles and uplifts on a scale from 0 to 3 b Some stressors will cancel out with uplifters c Uplifts are beneficial psychologically but not physiologically 4 Symptomatic vs Non symptomatic period a Symptomatic periods increased after hassles b Proved that major events do not need to happen for stress to occur