Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY (7th Ed) Chapter 14 Stress and Health James A. McCubbin, PhD Clemson University Worth Publishers.

Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY

(7th Ed)

Chapter 14

Stress and Health

James A. McCubbin, PhDClemson University

Worth Publishers

Stress and Health

Behavioral Medicine interdisciplinary field that integrates

behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease

Health Psychology subfield of psychology that provides

psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine

Stress and Illness Leading causes of death in the US in

1900 and 2000

Stress and Illness

Stress the process by

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

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

Pituitary hormone in the bloodstream stimulatesthe outer part of the adrenalgland to release the stress hormone cortisol

Sympathetic nervoussystem releases the stress hormonesepinephrine andnorepinephrinefrom nerve endings in the inner part ofthe adrenal glands

Thalamus

Hypothalamus

Pituitary gland

Adrenal glands

Cerebral cortex(perceives stressor)

Stress and Illness

General Adaptation Syndrome Selye’s

concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three stages

Stressresistance

Phase 1Alarm

reaction(mobilize

resources)

Phase 2Resistance(cope with stressor)

Phase 3Exhaustion(reservesdepleted)

The body’s resistance to stress canlast only so long before exhaustion sets in

Stressoroccurs

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

Stressful Life Events Chronic Stress by Age

Perceived Control Health consequences of a loss of control

No connection to shock source

To shock control To shock source

“Executive” rat “Subordinate” rat Control rat

Perceived Control Equality and Longevity

Stress and the Heart

Coronary Heart Diseaseclogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle

leading cause of death in many developed countries

Stress and the Heart

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

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

Stress and the Heart

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 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

Conditioning of immune suppression

UCS(drug)

UCR(immunesuppression)

UCS(drug)

UCR(immunesuppression)

CS(sweetenedwater)

CS(sweetenedwater) CR

(immunesuppression)

Stress and Disease Negative emotions and health-related

consequences

Unhealthy behaviors(smoking, drinking,

poor nutrition and sleep)

Persistent stressorsand negative

emotions

Release of stresshormones

Heartdisease

Immunesuppression

Autonomic nervoussystem effects

(headaches,hypertension)

Promoting Health

Aerobic Exercise sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness

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 patients

Modifying life-stylereduced recurrent

heart attacks

Promoting Health Social 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 toward

Health Illness

Personal appraisal

Challenge Threat

Personality typeEasy going

NondepressedOptimistic

HostileDepressedPessimistic

Personality habitsNonsmoking

Regular exerciseGood nutrition

SmokingSedentary

Poor nutrition

Level of social support

Close, 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

Promoting Health Religious Attendance

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

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

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 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

The Physiological Effects of Nicotine

Promoting Health Fewer Canadian smokers

Males

Females

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

Year

60%

50

40

30

20

10

0

Percentageof Canadians

smoking

Smoking Prevention

U.S. teen smoking

Smoking Prevention

Results of a smoking inoculation program

Percentageof studentswho smoke

20

15

10

5

0 0 4 9 12 16 21 33

Seventh 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 body mass index

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

2.8

2.6

2.4

2.2

2.0

1.8

1.6

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

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 Trading risks

Weight Control Thinning of Miss America

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)