Chapter 13 Health, Stress, and Coping

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2 Relating Psychology and Health: Current Approaches Health psychology –a multidimensional approach that emphasizes psychological factors, lifestyle, and the nature of the health-care delivery system Behavioral medicine –attempts to combine medical and behavioral knowledge to reduce illness and promote health

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 3 Relating Psychology and Health: Current Approaches Psychoneuroimmunology –explores the connections among psychological factors (such as attitudes and emotions), the nervous system, and the immune system

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 4 Promoting Health: Regular exercise Regular exercise –30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week –Aerobic exercise sustained exercise (jogging, swimming, or cycling, etc.) that stimulates heart and lung activity

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 5 Promoting Health: Proper nutrition Obesity set point –the weight maintained when no effort is made to gain or lose weight basal metabolism rate (BMR) –the minimal amount of energy an individual uses in a resting state

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 6 Promoting Health: Proper nutrition Anorexia nervosa –involves the relentless pursuit of thinness through starvation Bulimia –individual consistently follows a binge-and- purge eating pattern

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 7 Promoting Health: Freedom From Smoking Methods of abandoning a smoking habit –nicotine substitutes –stimulus control –aversive conditioning –going “cold turkey”

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 8 Promoting Health: Sound Sexual Decision-Making Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) –Gonorrhea –Syphilis –Chlamydia –Genital herpes –AIDS

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 9 Understanding Stress Stress –the response of individuals to the circumstances and events, called stressors, that threaten them and tax their coping abilities

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 10

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 11 Understanding Stress Biological factors –the nervous system –general adaptation syndrome –eustress the positive features of stress

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 12 Understanding Stress

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 13 Understanding Stress Cognitive factors –cognitive appraisal individuals’ interpretation of events in their lives as harmful, threatening, or challenging the determination of whether individual has the resources to effectively cope with the event

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 14 Understanding Stress Personality factors –Type A behavior pattern a cluster of characteristics thought to be related to the incidence of heart disease excessively competitive, hard-driven, impatient, and hostile –Hardiness a personality style characterized by commitment, control, and a perception of problems as challenges

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 15 Understanding Stress Environmental factors –overload the occurrence of stimuli so intense that the person cannot cope with them –burnout a hopeless, helpless feeling brought about by relentless work-related stress

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 16 Understanding Stress Environmental factors –approach/approach conflict –avoidance/avoidance conflict –approach/avoidance conflict –frustration

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 17 Understanding Stress Sociocultural factors –acculturation acculturative stress –assimilation –integration –separation

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 18 Understanding Stress Sociocultural factors –Marginalization –Socioeconomic status –Gender feminization of poverty

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 19 Coping Strategies Coping –managing taxing circumstances, expending effort to solve life’s problems, and seeking to master or reduce stress

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 20 Coping Strategies Problem-focused coping Emotion-focused coping Avoidance strategies Optimism and positive thinking Social support Assertive behavior

Copyright © 1999 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 21 Coping Strategies Stress management –stress management programs –mediation –transcendental meditation (TM) –relaxation –biofeedback