Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY (6th Ed)

Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY

(6th Ed)

Chapter 17Stress and Health

James A. McCubbin, PhDClemson University

Worth Publishers

Chapter 17- Stress and Health

Recap from Yesterday…

Parent forms- turn in ASAP! Vocabulary- write each word and definition

(due the day of each test)- February 2nd Reading Quiz- can use in-class notes and

any reading notes in a spiral- Monday, January 26th

Quilt Squares- also due Monday Erowancwhs.wikispaces.com- powerpoints

What is Stress?Health Psychology- psychology’s

contribution to behavioral medicineStress - the process by which we

appraise and cope with threats and challenges How a person perceives and evaluates

and event makes a difference - the cognitive model of stress▪ Cognitive- thinking and understanding

What is Stress?Stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

StressorsCatastrophesLife changesHassles

InterveningfactorsAppraisalPerceived controlPersonalitySocial supportCoping behaviors

StressreactionsPhysiologicalEmotionalBehavioral

Stress Appraisal

Stressful event(tough math test)

Threat(“Yikes! This isbeyond me!”)

Challenge(“I’ve got to apply

all I know”)

Panic, freeze up

Aroused, focused

Appraisal Response

Stress and Health

▪ Leading causes of death in the US in 1900 and 1991

PercentageU.S.deaths

30

20

10

0 Tuber-culosis

Pneu-monia

Diarrhea/enteritis

Heartdisease

1900

PercentageU.S.deaths

30

20

10

0 Heartdisease

Cancer Strokes Chroniclung disease

1991

Unlike many leading killers a century ago,

today’s majorkillers are more lifestyle-related

Physiological Reaction: Fight or Flight (Cannon)

When faced with a stressor, the body reacts with immediate arousal. ▪ Hormones are produced that increase the

amount of blood sugar for extra energy▪ Adrenaline is produced, causing rapid

heartbeat and breathing and enabling the body to use energy more quickly

Used to prepare a person or animal for self-defense

Left over from the past; doesn’t work for most of today’s stress

What is Stress? General

Adaptation Syndrome Selye’s concept

of the body’s adaptive response to stress as composed of three stages

Stressresistance

Phase 1Alarm

reaction(mobilize

resources)

Phase 2Resistance(cope with stressor)

Phase 3Exhaustion(reservesdepleted)

The body’s resistance to stress can onlyLast so long before exhaustion sets in

Stressoroccurs

1) Al

ar

m

Mobilization of fight or flight defensesExceptional alertness

2) Resistance

Find means to cope with the stressor, at least superficiallyMay suffer psychosomatic symptoms from pretending strain is nonexistent

3) Exhaustion

Reaching the breaking pointExhaustion and disorientation may developResponses that were good for immediate resistance to stress are detrimental in the long run

General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye)3 Stages of Stress Reactions:

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

Gradually weaken the body’s defense system and can lead to hypertension

Stress and Control (Selye)

Health consequences of a loss of control

No connection to shock source

To shock control To shock source

“Executive” rat “Subordinate” rat Control rat

Measuring Stress The SRRS- Holmes

and Rahe› Measured stress using

LCU (life-change units)› Higher score =

higher likelihood of stress-related diseases

› PERCEPTION MATTERS!

The SRRS

Perceived Control

All are most stressful when perceived as negative and uncontrolled

The result is vulnerability to ill health and often earlier death

Losing control provokes an outpouring of stress hormones Examples: poverty, optimism

What is Stress?Burnout

physical, emotional and mental exhaustion brought on by persistent job-related stress

Coronary Heart Disease clogging of the vessels that nourish

the heart muscle leading cause of death in the

United States

Stress & Coronary Heart Disease

Hopelessnessscores

3.5

3

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5

0 Heart attack DeathLow risk Moderate risk High risk

Men who feel extreme hopelessnessare at greater risk for heart attacksand early death

Type A & Type B Personalities

Type A- in a chronic state of stress; almost constant flow of adrenaline into the blood stream

Type B- generally relaxed and patient

Type A people are more prone to heart disease▪ They are more likely to smoke more, sleep

less, and drink more caffeine▪ Their temperament may contribute directly-

more physiologically reactive when threatened with a lack of control

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

Stress and Disease

Psychophysiological Illness “mind-body” illness any stress-related physical illness▪ some forms of hypertension▪ some headaches

Different from hypochondriasis▪ misinterpreting normal physical sensations

as symptoms of a disease

Stress and Disease

Conditioning of immune suppression; sweetened water alone could trigger immune suppression in rats

UCS(drug)

UCR(immunesuppression)

UCS(drug)

UCR(immunesuppression)

CS(sweetenedwater)

CS(sweetenedwater) CR

(immunesuppression)

Promoting Health

Aerobic Exercise sustained

exercise that increases heart and lung fitness

may also alleviate depression and anxiety

Depressionscore

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3 Before treatmentevaluation

After treatmentevaluation

No-treatmentgroup

Aerobicexercise

group

Relaxationtreatment

group

Promoting Health Biofeedback system for

electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state▪ blood pressure▪ muscle tension

Promoting Health Modifying Type A life-style can reduce

recurrence of heart attacks

Percentageof patients

with recurrentheart attacks

(cumulativeaverage)

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Year1978 1979 1980 1981 1982

Life-style modification patients

Control patientsModifying life-stylereduced recurrent

heart attacks

Promoting HealthSocial support across the life span

12-14 18-19 25-34 45-54 65-74 15-17 20-24 35-44 55-64 75+ Age in years

100%

90

80

70

60

50

Percentagewith high

support

Life events

Tendency towardHealth Illness

Personal appraisalChallenge Threat

Personality typeEasy going

NondepressedOptimistic

HostileDepressedPessimistic

Personality habitsNonsmoking

Regular exerciseGood nutrition

SmokingSedentary

Poor nutrition

Level of social supportClose, enduring Lacking

Promoting Health ▪ Predictors of mortality

1

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

Men Women

Not smoking Regular exercise Weekly religious attendance

Relativerisk

of dying

Alternative systems ofmedical practice

Bioelectromagneticapplications

Diet, nutrition,life-style changes

Herbal medicine

Manual healing

Mind-body control

Pharmacological and biological treatments

Subfields of Alternative MedicineHealth care ranging from self-care according to folk principles,to care rendered in an organized health care system based onalternative traditions or practices

The study of how living organisms interact with electromagnetic (EM) fields

The knowledge of how to prevent illness, maintain health, and reverse the effects of chronic disease through dietary or nutritional intervention

Employing plan and plant products from folk medicine traditionsfor pharmacological use

Using touch and manipulation with the hands as a diagnosticand therapeutic tool

Exploring the mind’s capacity to affect the body, based on traditional medical systems that make use of the interconnected-ness of mind and body

Drugs and vaccines not yet accepted by mainstream medicine

Promoting Health Complementary and Alternative

Medicine unproven health care treatments

not taught widely in medical schools, not used in hospitals, and not usually reimbursed by insurance companies

Promoting Health The religion factor is mulitidimensional

Religiousinvolvement

Healthybehaviors

(less smoking,drinking)

Social support(faith

communities,marriage)

Positiveemotions

(less stress,anxiety)

Better health(less immune systemsuppression, stress

hormones, and suicide)

Promoting Health Smoking-related early deaths

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

33,348

1,686 1,135 556 202

Smoking Suicide Vehicle HIV/ Homicide crash AIDS

Cause of death

Numberof deaths

per 100,000

Promoting Health Fewer Canadian smokers

Males

Females

1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994- 1996- 1995 1997Year

60%

50

40

30

20

10

0

Percentageof Canadians

smoking

Smoking Prevention

Smoking has made a partial comeback among U.S. teens

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1999Year

30%

25

20

15

10

5

0

Percentage ofU.S. high school

seniors whosmoke daily

Smoking Prevention

Results of a smoking inoculation program

Percentageof studentswho smoke

20

15

10

5

0 0 4 9 12 16 21 33Seventh grade Eighth grade Ninth grade

Months of study

Control school

School with smokingPrevention program

Fewer teens took upsmoking when “inoculated” against it

Obesity and Weight Control

Obesity and mortality

18.5 18.5- 20.5- 22.0- 23.5- 25.0- 26.5- 28.0- 30.0- 32.0- 35.0- 40 20.4 21.9 23.4 24.9 26.4 27.9 29.9 31.9 34.9 39.9

Body-mass index (BM I)Men Women

2.82.62.42.22.01.81.61.41.21.00.80.6

Relativerisk ofdeath

Weight Discrimination

When women applicants were made to look overweight, subjects were less willing to hire

Willingnessto hire scale

(from1:definitely

not hire to7: definitely

hire)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Women Men

Normal Overweight

Weight Control▪ Effects of a severe diet

Caloric intake

in caloriesper day

Body weight

in kilograms

Metabolism:Oxygen

consumptionin liters

per hour

3000

2000

1000

0 8 16 24 32

Days

165

160

155

150

145

140

Days Days

26

25

24

23

22

218 16 24 32 8 16 24 32

Weight Control

Most lost weight is regained

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

1 2 3 4 5

Weightchange

in pounds

Posttreatment

Years of follow-up

Startingpoint

Normal trend for untreated obesepeople: Gradually rising weight

After participation in behavioralProgram: Much of initial weight

Loss regained

Weight Control Obesity

was more common among those who watched the most television

<2 2-3 >4Hours of television watched per day

in 1990s study

Boys Girls

32

30

28

26

24

22

20

Skinfold fatmeasure (mm)

7) Excessive time spend in the resistance phase of Selye’s general adaptation syndrome can contribute to› Increased time needed to adapt to new

emotional situations› Decreased motivation to perform novel taskes› Stress-related diseases like ulcers or heart

conditions› A reduction in the drive to achieve goals› Resistance to learning skills needed for novel

tasks

8) Perceived control over a stressful event tends to result in Less reported stress More frustration regarding the stressful

event More motivation to solve the stressful

problem Increased arousal Higher hear and respiration rates