chapter 13/stress, coping, and health

integrate behavioral principles and medical knowledge to study of health and disease

goals/understand and modify behavioral sources of illness so as to lessen individual suffering and increase life expectancy and quality of life

health psychologists/promote healthier living/preventive techniques

stress/everyday event

appraisal/stress lies in the eye of the beholder

consequences of catastrophes, such as fires, floods, hurricanes, tornados or significant life changes such as divorce, death of significant person in one’s life, illness, or loss of job or daily hassles such as traffic, long lines at store, or personal aggravation

fight or flight response (cannon) to stress and physical characteristics (increase heart rate, respiration, release stores of fat, etc

major types of stress

selye’s general adaptation syndrome

response to stress/sympathetic nervous system activated

stage one/alarm-sympathetic nervous system activations/mobilized fight challenges in

stage two/resistance-either conquer that stress or it continues/if continues begin to deplete body’s reserves

stage three/exhaustion-more vulnerable to illness, collapse, and/or in extreme cases leads to death

frustration

conflict

change

pressure

responding to stress

emotional responses

physiological responses

behavioral responses

effects of stress on psychological functioning

impaired task performance/lack of attention

burnout

posttraumatic stress disorder

psychological problems and disorders

positive effects

effects of stress on physical health

type A personality/hostility and heart disease

role of stress in causing coronary heart disease/contrast Type A/B personalities

coronary heart disease/leading cause of death

type A/competitive, hard-driving, impatient, hostile, anger characteristics/these types produce more stress hormones/accelerating buildup of plaque on heart’s artery walls and thus more susceptible to CHD/type B/noncompetitive, relaxed, easy-going

emotional reactions/depression and heart disease

stress, other diseases, and immune functioning/stress increases the risk of disease by inhibiting the activities of the body’s immune system

psycho physiological illnesses/caused by stress/secretion of stress hormones suppresses the immune system’s lymphocytes/white blood cells that fight bacterial infections

stress depresses human immune system/more vulnerability to disease/illness

what is the link between stress and illness?

What is the link between stress and the “common” cold?

factors moderating impact of stress

social support

optimism and conscientiousness/effects of perceived lack of control and pessimistic outlook on health

loss of control/excess stress hormones that contribute to health problems

pessimism also enhances vulnerability to stress

healthy methods/stress reduction

aerobic exercise

biofeedback

meditation

relaxation techniques

health-impairing behavior/lifestyle choices

smoking

poor nutritional habits

lack of exercise

alcohol/drug use

behavior and AIDS

how does health-impairing behavior develop?

reaction to illness

deciding to seek treatment

communicating with health professionals

adhering to medical advice

humor as stress reducer

releasing pent-up emotions/venting

managing hostility

learning to relax

minimizing physiological vulnerability

making good decisions about health conditions