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Introduction to Psychology
Stress, Coping, and Health
Health Psychology
• APA (1979) Health Psychology is the educational,
research, and clinical contributions of Psychology
to:
• The promotion and maintenance of health
• The prevention and treatment of illness
• The analysis and improvement of the health care
system and health policy formation.
50% of all deaths are preventable - due to lifestyles
Stress
• A state that impairs our ability to respond to
internal and external demands
– Stress is a psychobiological process
– Stress is a stimulus e.g., catastrophies, life events,
circumstances
– Stress is a response (physiological and
psychological)
– Stress is a process (relationship between person
and environment)
Modern Views of Stress
• Richard Lazarus: stress is a transaction between a
person and their environment
– Primary appraisal: person evaluates situations as benign or
stressful
– Secondary appraisal: person decides how to deal with stress
• Lazarus identifies three types of stress:
– Loss: person loses a loved one or a possession
– Threat: anticipated harm
– Challenge: opportunity for growth (new job)
Appraisal of Stress
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We can influence the impact of a stressor
a) Behaviorally e.g., drug use vs. relaxation
b) Cognitively e.g., denial vs. cognitive
restructuring
c) Emotionally e.g., hopelessness vs.
optimism
Physical Responses to Stress
General Adaptation Syndrome
• Alarm
• Resistance
• Exhaustion
- Reactivity, anxiety on a continuum
Sympathetic Adrenal Medullary
system (SAM)
• Stress is perceived by cerebral cortex
• Affects hypothalamus which activates the
sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight)
• Stimulates the Adrenal Medulla glands which
secrete catecholimines, epinephrine, and
norepinephrine
• Raises blood pressure, irregular heart rate,
sweating, constriction of peripheral blood vessels
Hypothalmic-PituitaryAdrenocorticol system (HPA)
• Hypothalamus releases corticotrophin
releasing factor (CRF)
• Influences Pituitary gland to secrete
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
• This affects adrnal cortex, relasing
coritcosteroids like cortisol that reduce
inflammation and help body return to
normal state after acute stressors
Physical Symptoms of Stress
• 1) increases in heart rate
and pressure
2) increased adrenaline
and noradrenaline
3) stomach ulcers
4) injuries
5) fatigue
6) death
7) heart disease
• 8) lung diseases
9) increased sweating
10) skin rashes
11) headaches
12) cancer
13) muscular tension
14) sleep disorders
Prolonged Exposure to Stress
• Suppress cellular immune functioning
• Produces hemodynamic changes (increased heart
rate and blood pressure)
• Provoke irregular heart rhythms
• Produce neurochemical imbalances (depression,
panic disorder)
• Atherosclerosis
• Destruction of neurons in the hippocampus
(memory impairment, senility)
Psychological Responses to
Stress
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Emotional instability
Thinking problems:
problem solving difficulties
Ruminative thinking
Castastrophizing
Irrational thoughts
Psychological Symptoms of
Stress
• 1) anxiety, tension,
confusion, & irritability
2) frustration, anger, and
resentment
3) hypersensitivity,
hyperactivity
4) suppression of feelings
5) poor communication
6) withdrawal and
depression
• 7) feeling isolated and
alienated
8) boredom, job
dissatisfaction
9) mental fatigue, poor
reasoning
10) poor concentration
11) loss of spontaneity &
creativity
12) lowered self-esteem
Behavioral Responses to Stress
• 1) procrastination &
avoidance
2) lowered performance
3) increased alcohol &
drug use and abuse
4) intentional acts of
sabotage
5) increased use of
prescription drugs
6) undereating due to
apathy, depression
• 7) overeating as an escape
8) weight loss
9) increased recklessness,
gambling
10) aggression and
criminal acts
11) poor relations with
family and friends
12) suicide or attempted
suicide
Coping
Coping is the process by which people try to manage the
perceived discrepancy between the demands and
resources they appraise in a stressful situation
Recognize the importance of individualistic coping
mechanisms and the role of belief and expectation
in determining the outcome of a stressful event
where impact depends on how event is appraised
- problem and emotion focused coping
Emotion Focused Coping
• Emotion focused coping is aimed at
controlling the emotional response to the
stressful situation
Behavioral – drugs, distraction, or support
Cognitive – denial, optimism, hardy
personality
Problem Focused Coping
• Problem focused coping is aimed at reducing the
demands of the stressful situation or expanding the
resources available to deal with the stressor
• E.g., quit job, seek treatment or support, learn new
skill to adapt to situation
Person attempts to change the situation
– Try to remove the stressor
– Plan ways of resolving the situation
– Seek advice from others on how to change the situation
Social Support and Stress
• Other persons can provide social support:
– Two-way communication in which a person can confide
their concerns and receive support from others
• Low social support decreases life span
• Social support may work by
– Buffering person against the harmful effects of stress
– Social support is a positive force that reduces susceptibility
to stress
Positive Coping Strategies
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Focused breathing/meditation
Progressive Muscle relaxation
Cognitive restructuring
Visualization and Imagery
Self hypnosis
Anger management
Thought Stopping Procedures
Stress Inoculation Training
Assertiveness Training/Social Skills Training
Time Management
Affirmations (Benson, 1995)
• I can handle this
I accept myself as I am
I am peaceful
I am becoming healthy and strong
Let it be
I am doing the best that I can
through repetition and imagination you can speak directly
to your own unconscious mind (which takes everything
you say as truth and creates your belief system about they
way the world works)
effective affirmations are
1) stated in the positive
2) written down on paper
3) posted everywhere for repeated viewing
Health and Well Being
• Benson & Friedman (1995)
The Three Legs supporting health & wellbeing
- pharmaceuticals
- surgery and medical procedures
- self-care (the leg that has been missing) of the
inner development of the whole person and
nurturing beliefs that faciltate healing
- Western Thinking needs an overhaul
Many medical experts like Benson are recognizing
we need to borrow from the older eastern
traditions.
(Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Jon Kabat-Zinn)