© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Chapter 4 The Social and Spiritual Basis of Stress

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Overview nThis chapter uExamines the two facets of the social dimension in terms of social support and its relationship to stress and health uExplores the relationship between stress and daily hassles, life events, and major traumas uLooks at ongoing negative social problems as social stressors uExamines how religion, faith, and spirituality are related to the stress response

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Outline nOutline uThe social dimension: Social support and stress uLife experiences and stress FDaily hassles and uplifts FMajor traumatic life events uChronic negative social problems uSpirituality and stress

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images The Social Dimension: Social Support and Stress nSocial networks: our relationships, group memberships, and network connections nSocial support: resources (esteem, emotional, informational, tangible, financial, etc.) we get from our social networks

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Measuring Social Support nFour functional measures of social support uSocial embeddedness uRelationship quality uPerceived social support uEnacted social support

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images How Social Support Moderates Stress nThe direct effect theory uAn extensive social network exerts a protective effect against stress nThe stress-buffering theory uA social support network helps offset the negative effects of stressors

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Health Effects of Social Support nPeople with supportive social networks have lower rates of illness, lower mortality rates, lower rates of depression, and stronger immune systems nSocial networks also can cause stress, requiring time and energy to maintain

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Life Experiences and Stress nSocial Support Readjustment Rating Scale developed by Holmes and Rahe uFound relationship between life events and increased susceptibility to illness uAssigned point values (life change units) to specific life events uNoted that high accumulation of life change units resulted in increased chance of serious illness

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Criticism of Life-Events Approach uStress measured in terms of life events FAssumes everyone responds the same to a specific type of event FDoes not consider person’s perception of event FReplication studies with different populations found conflicting results

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Hassles and Health—A Better Indicator of Stress nHassles: “irritating, frustrating distressing demands that to some degree characterize everyday transactions with the environment” (Kanner et al.) uMore individualistic than life events uSeveral studies show a high correlation between the level of one’s daily hassles and physical or psychological illness

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images The Effects of Uplifts nUplifts: small, happiness- inducing events (e.g., a compliment or a joke) uUplifts have been shown to cancel out hassles uThe people who benefit most from uplifts are those with the most hassles

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Major Life Events and Stress nSome events are so traumatic that they are almost universal stressors uCan be personal (rape, torture) or community (flood, terrorism) nExperiencing such trauma can lead to acute stress disorder and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Chronic Negative Social Problems nFit somewhere between tragic life events and minor daily hassles uPoverty uEconomic uncertainty FEconomic insecurity FJob insecurity FJob loss uPrejudice and discrimination uStereotypes FGender role stereotyping FRacial and ethnic stereotyping Racial profiling FSexual orientation stereotyping

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Spirituality and Stress nFaith: belief without proof nReligion: an organized system of worship and belief; a cumulative historic tradition nSpirituality: a belief in or relationship with a higher power, creative force, divine being, or infinite source of energy; a sense of interconnectedness

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Faith, Religion, and Spirituality nAll three have been studied separately and in combination nAll three have been shown to have a positive effect on coping with stress

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Faith, Religion, and Spirituality nHow do they work? uChange one’s perspective about a potential stressor uGive strength to help people cope uBuild social support

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images HOPE for Spiritual Distress nAnadarajah and Hight use questions to assess the role of spirituality in a person’s life, for example: uHope: What are your sources of hope, strength, comfort, and peace? uOrganized: Do you consider yourself part of an organized religion? uPersonal: Do you have personal spiritual beliefs and practices? uEffects: What are the effects of your spiritual beliefs on your medical care and end-of-life issues?

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Akira Kaede/Getty Images Chapter 4: The Social and Spiritual Basis of Stress nSummary