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PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION
Sixth Edition
by
Karen Huffman
PowerPoint  Lecture Notes Presentation
Chapter 3
Stress & Health Psychology
Paul J. Wellman
Texas A&M University
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Lecture Overview
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Overview of Health Psychology
Stress and Health
Stress and Serious Illness
Coping with Stress
Coping Strategies
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Health Psychology
• Health psychology examines the relationship
between psychological behavior and physical
health/illness
• Focus of health psychology is on
– Wellness
– Prevention of illness
• Many major causes of death are related to
behavior and lifestyle rather than to infections
– Smoking, drinking, risky sex are causes of death that
can be prevented
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Smoking
• Cigarette smoking is the single most
preventable cause of death and disease in the
United States
• Smoking is a major risk factor for
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Coronary heart disease
Cancer
Low birth weight, prenatal death
Fire deaths
• Secondhand smoke exposure is also a
significant health risk
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Smoking Prevention
• Different factors may initiate and maintain
smoking
– Teens may start smoking as a means of rebellion or
because of peer pressure
– People may continue to smoke because nicotine is
addictive
• Nicotine releases transmitters such as acetylcholine,
dopamine, and norepinephrine
• These transmitters increase alertness and are rewarding
• Smoking relieves withdrawal symptoms
• Most smoking prevention programs focus on
psychosocial factors
– Minimize peer pressure to smoke
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Causes of Cancer
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Binge Drinking
• Binge drinking refers to the consumption of
some number of alcoholic drinks in a single
session
– Male: 5 or more drinks
– Female: 4 or more drinks
• Approximately 5.1 million Americans could be
labeled as binge drinkers
• Binge drinking is a major problem on college
campuses
– 43% of college students are binge drinkers
– 20% of college students binge frequently
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Binge Drinking in Colleges
• Student binge drinkers believe their drinking
levels are normal, when in fact their consumption
is above the norm
• Many students believe that binge drinking is
harmless
• Some students infer that binge drinking is fine
because the college does not tell them otherwise
• Binge drinking is often a key aspect of the Greek
experience of college life
• Alumni who binge drink give the impression that
such behavior is expected of students
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Cross-Cultural Binge Drinking
• Mexico: binge drinking is an issue at fiestas
and can contribute to aggression
• Spain/South America: young binge drinking
males are more likely to exhibit aggression
• Denmark: wine drinkers are more likely to
show binging than are beer drinkers
• Russia: 44% of males qualify as bingers
• Japan: binge drinking is reduced in persons
who are unable to metabolize alcohol
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Chronic Pain
• Pain is the most common symptom reported by
patients in visits to physicians
• Chronic pain involves continuous or recurrent pain
over a 6 month or longer period
• Chronic pain produces irritation, depression,
anxiety, and dependence on others
• Treatment of chronic pain can involve
– Exercise programs promote release of endorphins which
reduce pain perception
– Operant conditioning techniques reward “well behaviors”
– Biofeedback (electromyograph) can reduce muscle
tension
– Relaxation training reduces impact of pain
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Stress
• Stress is a nonspecific response of the body to
any demand made on it
– Eustress: pleasant, desirable stress as in the stress
associated with exercise
– Distress: is unpleasant stress as in illness
• Stressors are stimuli that cause stress
– Stressors can be major (loss of a parent) or can be
minor (parking your car)
• Body eventually fails when subjected to chronic
stress
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Life Changes as Stressors
• Life events can function as stressors
• When many life events occur in a short
period of time, enough stress can be
induced to alter health
• Holmes and Rahe developed the Social
Readjustment Rating scale (SRRS)
– Assesses the number of life changes in a
period of time and predicts the likelihood of
developing illness
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Daily Stress
• Some stressors are chronic:
– Job-related (shift work, co-workers)
– Environmental stressors (aircraft noise)
• Hassles are small problems that accumulate to
induce major stress
– Time pressures to get things done
– Financial concerns
– Problems with family and coworkers
• Frustration is a negative emotional state
associated with a blocked goal
• Conflicts arise when choosing between 2
incompatible alternatives
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Effects of Stress
• The sympathetic portion of the autonomic
nervous system is activated during stress
– Increased heart rate and blood pressure
– Release of adrenaline and cortisol
– These physiological changes use up energy
and can be sustained for only a period of time
– Prolonged stressor exposure leads to
exhaustion and death:
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Stress and the Immune System
• Immune system functioning is impaired by
exposure to stress
– This immune response leaves a person susceptible
to disease
• Psychological events such as caring for a loved
one who has Alzheimer’s disease activates the
sympathetic system and impairs immune
response
– Hormone release during stress suppresses the
immune system and this increases the likelihood of
becoming ill
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Stress and Serious Illness
• Cancer is affected by psychological factors
– Exposure to chemicals that cause cancer can be
modified by behavior
– Sleep deprivation can reduce immune function
– Personality traits can alter stress response
• Heart disease is associated with the buildup of
fats in blood vessels, stress increases this effect
– Type A personalities (ambitious, time urgent) are more
likely to suffer heart disease
– Reducing stress alters blood cholesterol so as to
reduce chance of blood vessel blockage
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Personality and Stress
• Type A personality traits include time pressure,
anger, and hostility
– Behavior modification is used to encourage Type A
persons to slow down, follow a diet, to exercise, and to
avoid cynical hostility
• Hardiness is a personality type that is resistant to
stress
• Hardiness involves
– Commitment to personal goals
– Personal view of being in control
– Viewing change as a welcome challenge
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Coping with Stress
• Stressors are pervasive in our lives
• Reducing stress can be accomplished by
either avoiding stressors or by reducing
our response to stressors
• Coping: managing stress in some
effective way
– Emotion-focused forms of coping change
how we view a situation (our reaction)
– Problem-focused forms of coping deal
directly with the stressor to eliminate it
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Resources to Manage Stress
• Health and energy are key aspects to minimize
the damage produced by stress
• Positive beliefs are important for reducing stress
impact
• Social skills lead to social support
• Social support (network of friends, family)
reduces stress impact
• Material resources can help to minimize the
sources and types of stress
• Personal control allows people to buffer the
negative reactions to stress
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Active Coping Strategies
• Relaxation during stress exposure
minimizes the impact of the exposure
• Exercise leads to physical fitness and
good health
– Reduces likelihood of illness
– Reduces negative impact of stress
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Copyright
Copyright 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York,
NY. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected
by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without written permission
of the copyright owner.
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E