“Your One and Only Car” : “Your One and Only Car”
Stress and Health : Stress and Health Behavioral Medicine
Physical illness is caused by a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors
Health Psychology
How psychosocial factors relate to the promotion, and maintenance of health and with the causation, prevention, and treatment of illness
Stress and Illness : Stress and Illness Leading causes of death in the US in 1900 and 2000
Stress and Illness : Stress and Illness Stress
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging
Slide 8 : When stress is good and leads to something desirable such as studying for a big exam and then receiving a good grade on the exam, it is called eustress. When the stress has negative effects such as confusion, an inability to make decisions, and illness, it is called distress. Stress Stress is defined as the physical pressure and strain that result from change.
Stress Appraisal : Stress Appraisal
Slide 12 : Sequence of Steps in the Fight or Flight Behaviors 1. The brain appraises a situation as threatening and dangerous. 2. The lower brain structure secretes a stress hormone. 3. The stress hormone signals the adrenal glands to secrete adrenaline. 4. This causes the muscles to tense, the heart to beat faster, and the liver to send out sugar to be used in the muscles. Fight or Flight (Walter Cannon)
Slide 13 : The General Adaptation Syndrome (Hans Selye) Defined as a series of stages the body goes through when exposed to stressful situations. 1. The alarm stage is the initial stage where the body prepares for attack—either psychological or physical. 2. The second stage is called the stage of resistance. The body uses up a great amount of energy to prepare for the stressor. 3. The third stage is exhaustion. It is marked by body exhaustion and health problems. Alarm Resistance Exhaustion
Stress and Illness : Stress and Illness General Adaptation Syndrome
Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three stages
Stressful Life Events : Stressful Life Events Catastrophic Events
earthquakes, combat stress, floods
Life Changes
death of a loved one, divorce, loss of job, promotion
Daily Hassles
rush hour traffic, long lines, job stress,
Burnout-- physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion brought on by persistent job-related stress
Slide 17 : Some Psychological Stressors for High School Students
Life Event Stress Points
Divorce of parents 98
Expulsion from school 79
Major injury or illness 77
Getting a job 62
Major illness of close friend 56
Peer difficulties 45
Moving away 41
Christmas 30
Vacation 25
Traffic ticket 22
Perceived Control : Perceived Control Our personal control and optimism is related to stress and our immune system.
With loss of perceived control, we are vulnerable to ill health.
Optimists respond to stress with smaller increases in blood pressure, and they recover faster from heart bypass surgery.
Poverty and Inequality : Poverty and Inequality Poorer people are more at risk for premature death.
People also tend to die younger in areas where there is greater income inequality.
People at every income level are at greater risk of death if they live in a community with great income inequality.
Stress and the Heart : Stress and the Heart Coronary Heart Disease
clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle
leading cause of death in many developed countries
Stress, Personality, & Heart Disease : Stress, Personality, & Heart Disease Coronary heart disease is North America’s leading cause of death
Habitually grouchy people tend to have poorer health outcomes
Chronic negative emotions have negative effect on immune system
6 factors that increase the risk of heart disease: : 6 factors that increase the risk of heart disease: 1. Smoking
2. Obesity
3. High fat diet
4. Physical Inactivity
5. Elevated blood pressure
6. Elevated Cholesterol + stress and personality
Stress and the Heart : Stress and the Heart
Stress and the Heart : Stress and the Heart Type A
Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people
Type B
Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people
Research on type A Personality : Research on type A Personality Time urgency & competitiveness not associated with poor health outcomes
Negative emotions, anger, aggressive reactivity
High levels of hostility increase chance of all disease (e.g., cancer)
Explanatory style : Explanatory style Optimism
use external, unstable, & specific explanations for negative events
predicts better health outcomes
Pessimism
use internal, stable, & global explanations for negative events
predicts worse health outcomes
Stress and the Heart : Stress and the Heart
Stress and Disease : Stress and Disease Psychophysiological Illness
“mind-body” illness
any stress-related physical illness
some forms of hypertension
some headaches
distinct from hypochondriasis-- misinterpreting normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease
Stress and Disease : Stress and Disease Lymphocytes
two types of white blood cells that are part of the body’s immune system
B lymphocytes form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections
T lymphocytes form in the thymus and, among other duties, attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances
Slide 31 : Your immune system battles bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders that try to set up housekeeping in your body. The specialized white blood cells that fight infection are manufactured in the bone marrow and are stored in the thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes until needed.
Stress and Disease : Stress and Disease Conditioning of immune suppression
Slide 33 : Conflict Conflict arises when a person needs to decide between two alternatives. Types of conflict: Approach - Approach Avoidance - Avoidance Approach - Avoidance Double Approach - Avoidance
Slide 34 : Approach-Approach The person is attracted to two goals. The approach - approach conflict is not all bad. You have to decide between two attractive choices.
Slide 35 : Approach - Avoidance The person is attracted to one goal but it comes with a negative aspect. The approach - avoidance conflict can be distressing.
Slide 36 : Avoidance - Avoidance The person has to choose between them. The avoidance - avoidance conflict presents two undesirable goals.
Slide 37 : Double Approach - Avoidance The person has two goals, each has both good and bad characteristics. The double approach - avoidance conflict is the most common.