I. UNDERSTANDING STRESS - Stress is the body's nonspecific response to any demand made on it.
Any stimulus that causes stress is called a stressor. There are both beneficial (eustress) and
beneficial (distress) types of stress.
- Sources of Stress - The major sources of stress are discussed: life changes, chronic stress, job stress, hassles, frustration,conflict, and cataclysmic events.The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) measures stress related to changes brought about by major life events and is presented in Table 3.1. Chronic stress may be some of the most damaging of all stressors and chronic exposure to high levels of job stress and little personal control can lead to burnout. Some believe that hassles can be more significant than major life events in creating stress. Conflicts may be of threetypes: approach-approach,
avoidance-avoidance, and approach-avoidance.
Research Highlight: Hurricane Katrina and LocalCollege Students –
Two educators at SoutheasternLouisianaUniversity study students displaced from
Hurricane Katrina including correlated physical and psychological problems and
how various students coped in the post-Katrina environment.
Gender and Cultural Diversity “Karoshi”: Can Job Stress Be Fatal? –The Japanese
word“karoshi’, which translates “death from overwork”, introduces a brief discussion of the relationship between job stress, overwork and the risk of dying from heart disease and stroke.
- Effects of Stress - When stressed, the body undergoes physiological changes due primarily to the SAM
system (Sympatho-Adreno-Medullary) and the HPA axis (Hyplthalmic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical). During acute stress, cortisol can interfere with information processing including memory. The sympathetic part of
the autonomic nervous system is activated, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and hormone levels.
This sympathetic activation is beneficial if people need to fight or flee (“fight or flight response”), but
it can have negative consequences to health. Hans Selye described a generalized physiological reaction to
severe stressors, which he called the general adaptation syndrome (GAS). The general adaptation
syndrome has three phases: the alarm reaction, the resistance phase, and the exhaustion phase.
Long-term exposure to stress can suppress the immune system and render the body susceptible to much disease from colds to cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Psychoneuroimmunology studies the
effects of psychological factors, the nervous and endocrine systems, and the immune system.
Psychology at Work: Is My Job Too Stressful? – A twelve question survey asks students to consider their likes and dislikes in current and future jobs. Four factors are presented that research shows are conducive to increased job satisfaction and reduced stress: supportive colleagues, supportive working conditions, mentally challenging work, and equitable rewards (Robbins, 1996).
II. STRESS AND ILLNESS
A. Cancer - Cancer is among the leading causes of death and occurs when a cell begins rapidly dividing and
then forms a tumor that invades healthy tissue. During times of stress, the body may be less able to check
cancerous cell changes because the immune system is suppressed.
B. Cardiovascular Disorders - The leading cause of death in the United States is cardiovascular disease.
Heart disease includes all illnesses that affect the heart muscle and lead to heart failure. One major
cause of heart disease is the blockage of coronary arteries. Risk factors in heart disease include
smoking, stress, Type A personality traits, obesity, a high-fat diet, and lack of exercise. Personality
traits can play a major role in the effects of stress. The two main approaches to modifying Type A
behavior are the shotgun approach and the target behavior approach. Psychological hardy personality
types are more resistant to the effects of stress. Reducing stress, increasing exercise, and maintaining a
low-fat diet can help minimize the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries and the risk for cardiovascular
disease.
C. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – Identifying the primary effects of PTSD are discussed and tips
for coping with crisis are highlighted.
Research Highlight: Does Stress Cause Ulcers? – New research suggests that H. pylori bacterium, hydrochloric acid, stress hormones, and decreased blood flow in the stomach may all contribute to the cause of ulcers, supporting the biopsychosocial model for the cause of ulcers.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION - Health psychology is the study of the relationship between psychological behavior and physical health and illness. Health psychologists work with physicians, do research to unravel the relationship between the stress and the immune system, and educate the general public about heath maintenance.
Psychology atWork: Would You Like To Be a Health Psychologist? –The field of
health psychology is introduced including a brief overview of the manyareas involved.
A. Tobacco - Because smoking is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the United
States, prevention and cessation of smoking are of primary importance to all health practitioners, including health psychologists. Smoking prevention programs involve educating the public about short and long-term consequences of smoking, trying to make smoking less socially acceptable, and helping nonsmokers resist social pressures to smoke. Approaches to help people quit smoking include cognitive and behavioral techniques to aid smokers in their withdrawal from nicotine; and techniques for dealing with social pressures.
B. Alcohol - Since binge drinking is fairly common, especially among college aged individuals, and a potentially dangerous habit it is also a target of prevention programs. The focus of these programs is to reduce or remove the social reinforcers that encourage binge drinking.
C. Chronic Pain - Health psychologists help chronic pain patients by teaching them to cope with their
pain through behavior modification, biofeedback, and relaxation techniques.
IV. HEALTH AND STRESS MANAGEMENT - The two major forms of coping with stress are emotion-
problem-focused approaches are explored.
- Cognitive Appraisal and Coping–How we interpret events or cognitive appraisal occurs in two steps:
primary appraisal and secondary appraisal. Emotion-focused forms of coping strategies and based on
changing one’s perceptions of stressful situations. Problem-focused forms of coping deal directly with the
situation or causative factors so as to decrease or eliminate the problems.
Psychology at Work:Why You Shouldn’t Procrastinate– Tice and Baumeister (1997) found that procrastinators suffered significantly more stress and developed more health problems than nonprocrastinators.
- Resources for Healthy Living -The ability to cope with a stressor also depends on the resources
Resources include exercise, positive beliefs, social skills, social support,
material resources, personal control, relaxation, and a sense of humor.