Stress and Health Psychology

Stress and Health Psychology
Chapter Three Stress and Health Psychology Engage Your Students!! Music Video: Black Eyed Pea: Anxiety (1:40) This song exemplifies the insidious nature of anxiety, a great unit starter—lyrics below and link found on the last slide of this PPT. "Anxiety" I feel like I wanna smack somebody Turn around and bitch slap somebody But I ain't goin' out bro (no, no, no) I ain't givin' into it (no, no, no) Anxieties bash my mind in Terrorizing my soul like Bin Laden But I ain't fallin' down bro (no, no, no) I won't lose control bro (no, no, no) Shackle and chained My soul feels stained I can't explain got an ich on my brain Lately my whole aim is to maintain And regain control of my mainframe My bloods boiling it’s beatin' out propane My train of thoughts more like a runaway train I'm in a fast car drivin' in a fast lane In the rain and I'm might just hydroplaine I don't fear none of my enemies And I don't fear bullets from Uzi's I've been dealing with something thats worse than these That'll make you fall to your knees and thats the The anxiety the sane and the insane rivalry Paranoias brought me to my knees Lord please please please Take away my anxiety The sane and the insane rivalry My head keeps running away my brother The only thing making me stay my brother But I won't give into it bro (no, no, no) Gotta get myself back now God, I can't let my mind be Tell my enemy is my own Gots to find my inner wealth Gots to hold up my thoughts I can't get caught (no, no, no) I can't give into it now (no, no, no) Emotions are trapped set on lock Got my brain stuck goin’ through the motions Only I know what's up I'm filled up with pain Tryin' to gain my sanity Everywhere I turn its a dead end in front of me With nowhere to go gotta shake this anxiety Got me feelin' strange paranoia took over me And its weighin' me down And I can't run any longer, yo Knees to the ground I've been dealing with something that’s worse than these That'll make you fall to your knees and that’s the © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
ENGAGE YOUR STUDENTS!! The World of Abnormal Psychology: The Nature of Stress (58:26) We see that stress affects many people—from the overworked and out-of-work, to survivors of suicide and homicide, to Vietnam War veterans who continually re-experience the stress of the battlefield. The program explores the long-term effects of stress and what is known about how to reduce them. UNDERSTANDING STRESS © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stress Changes Your Brain
Defining Stress Stress Nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it; the arousal, both physical and mental, to situations or events that we perceive as threatening or challenging Stressor Trigger or stimulus that prompts a stressful reaction Eustress Pleasant, desirable stress Distress Unpleasant, threatening stress Stress Changes Your Brain We all know that stress is bad for us. But as this ScienCentral News video reports, neuroscientists now say chronic stress can actually change parts of our brains. WILEY VIDEO Stress Changes Your Brain © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources of Stress: Life Changes
Holmes and Rahe believed that adjusting to major life changes causes some degree of stress. The Social Readjustment Rating Scale measures the magnitude of the stress and those scores have been correlated with illness. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring YOUR Life Changes!
Engage Your Students!! Have your students add up their scores and discuss if they see a correlation between their scores and health. This is also a good time to discuss whether or not this tool measures the stress of young adult students. To score yourself on this scale, add up the “life change units” for all life events you have experienced during the last year. Now compare your total score with the following standards: 0–49 No significant problems; 150–199 Mild life crisis (33 percent chance of illness); 200–299 Moderate life crisis (50 percent chance of illness); 300 and above Major life crisis (80 percent chance of illness). © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources of Stress: Chronic Stressors
State of ongoing arousal in which the parasympathetic system cannot activate the relaxation response. How do YOU manage the ongoing threats of increasing tuition, quizzes, exams, and term papers, while also holding down a part- or full-time jobs? Being in a constant state of perceived threat, without the required relaxation time, can wear down our bodies—both physically and psychologically. That’s why it’s so important to practice the stress-management techniques discussed at the end of this chapter. Smoking, Stress, and Gender People trying to quit smoking often fail because of stress. As this ScienCentral News video reports, now physiologists have found that the reason for this is different in men and women. WILEY VIDEO Smoking, Stress, and Gender © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Source of Stress: Job Stressors
Work-related stress, including unemployment, role conflict, and burnout Role Conflict Forced choice between two or more different and incompatible role demands Burnout State of psychological and physical exhaustion resulting from chronic exposure to high levels of stress and little personal control Unemployment Keeping/changing jobs Job performance Lack of control Burnout occurs in idealistic people involved in stressful and emotionally draining professions © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Source of Stress: Hassles
Hassles Small problems of daily living that accumulate and sometimes become a major source of stress Some believe that hassles are often more significant in creating stress than major live events. Insert psychology engages from page 97 beginning with “The 10 Most Common Hassles for College Students”, not the caption or picture! Engage Your Students!! BEFORE showing this slide, ask your students to list their top 10 hassles. Compare and discuss similarities to and differences from what the research indicates on this slide. Student Drinking There are new concerns about college students hitting the bottle instead of the books. As this ScienCentral News video reports, researchers say the problem could be bigger than previous studies indicated because the drinks are getting bigger. WILEY VIDEO Student Drinking © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Source of Stress: Frustration
Frustration Unpleasant tension, anxiety, and heightened sympathetic activity resulting from a blocked goal How might you feel if you did not get the job you wanted? The more motivated we are, the more frustration we experience when our goals are blocked. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources of Stress: Conflict
Generally, approach-approach conflicts are the easiest to resolve and produce the least stress. Avoidance-avoidance conflicts, on the other hand, are usually the most difficult because all choices lead to unpleasant results. Keep in mind that in addition to the stress of a forced choice, the longer any conflict exists or the more important the decision, the more stress we will experience. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Source of Stress: Cataclysmic Events
Cataclysmic Events Stressful occurrences that occur suddenly and generally affect many people simultaneously. Ironically, researchers have found that because the catastrophe is shared by so many others, there is a great deal of mutual social support from those with firsthand experience with the same disaster, which may help people cope. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Biological Response, The Immune System, Cognitive Functioning & PTSD Engage Your Students!! Stress: Portrait of a Killer (4:39) This is a preview to Sapolsky’s fascinating work on stress. As we’ve evolved, the human stress response has saved our lives. Today, we turn on the same life-saving physical reaction to cope with intense, ongoing stressors— and we can’t seem to turn it off. “Stress: Portrait of a Killer” reveals just how dangerous prolonged exposure to stress can be. The full length 55 minute video is on the YouTube slide at the end of this set of slides—well worth the time! THE EFFECTS OF STRESS © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Biological Response: General Adaptation Syndrome
Our learning histories, genetic predispositions, personalities, and preexisting medical conditions all affect how well or how poorly we respond to stress. One of the most interesting ways that people differ in their stress response has to do with gender. Men more often “fight or flight,” whereas women “tend and befriend.” They take care of themselves and their children (tending), and form strong social bonds with others (befriending) (Taylor, 2008, 2011). Some researchers believe these differences are hormonal in nature. Although oxytocin is released during stress in both men and women, the female’s higher level of estrogen tends to enhance oxytocin, which results in more calming and nurturing feelings. In contrast, the hormone testosterone, which men produce in high levels during stress, reduces the effects of oxytocin. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Biological Response: SAM and HPA
ANIMATION Managing Stress © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Biological Response: SAM and HPA
Engage Your Students!! Managing Stress Improves Health (5:51)—click on brain This animation briefly describes the General Adaptation Response, along with the SAM and HPA responses to a stressor. After indicating that this response is related to poor health outcomes, it provides examples of multiple stress-reduction techniques. Emotions, Stress and Health (10: 58)—click on video icon This segment from The Brain teaching modules features commentary from scientists, dramatic reenactments, and graphic illustrations that show the consequences of prolonged stress on health. Animated diagrams show the brain releasing hormones, followed by a role-playing situation illustrating on-the-job stress that may set this process in motion. Researchers explain how low-level stress leads to the breakdown of frontal lobe functioning. The stress response becomes stuck in an under- or overaroused state, leading to dangerously low or high levels of cortisol. In the underaroused state, the adrenal glands become exhausted from the demands of chronic stress, which leads to chronically low levels of cortisol (hypocortisolism). Hypocortisolism is associated with several disorders, including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. In contrast to this underarousal and low levels of cortisol, some individuals are chronically overaroused by stress, leading to a prolonged elevation of cortisol (hypercortisolism). Hypercortisolism not only depletes the normal supply of cortisol, but it can also permanently disrupt the feedback system that normally shuts off the stress response. Prolonged elevation of cortisol also has serious physical and psychological consequences, including hypertension, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug and alcohol abuse, and even low-birth-weight infants. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stress and the Immune System
Psychoneuroimmunology Interdisciplinary field that studies the effects of psychological and other factors on the immune system The biological response to stress changes the activity of the immune system, increasing the risk of: Cancer Periodontal Disease Common Cold Bursitis Colitis Rheumatoid Arthritis Alzheimer’s © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stress and Cognitive Functioning
Cortisol Effects on the Brain SHORT TERM: Cortisol also can prevent the retrieval of existing memories, as well as the laying down of new memories LONG TERM: Prolonged stress can permanently damage the hippocampus, a key part of the brain involved in memory. Once damaged, it cannot provide proper feedback to the hypothalamus, so cortisol continues to be secreted and a vicious cycle can develop © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stress and Cancer Cancer is caused by interaction of environment and genetic predispositions. Stress does suppresses immune system. Myths: Stress causes cancer Positive attitudes fight off cancer The immune system in action Stress can compromise the immune system, and the actions of a healthy immune system are shown here. The round red structures are leukemia cells. Note how the yellow killer cells are attacking and destroying the cancer cells. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stress and Cardiovascular Disease
Stress DOES contribute to heart disease. Fat is released as fuel in response to stress. If not used for fight-or-flight, it adheres to the walls of arteries, forming blockages. Fatty deposits in arteries One major cause of heart disease is the blockage of arteries that supply blood to the heart. The artery on the left is normal; the one on the right is almost completely blocked. Reducing stress, exercising, and eating a low-fat diet can help prevent the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries. Mending Broken Hearts How do you mend a broken heart? Medical experts now say it can be done. Scientists writing in the upcoming issue of the journal Nature say experiments in mice show that a special sort of cell that we all carry around in our blood and bone marrow can rebuild damaged hearts, and probably other organs as well. This ScienCentral News video report (at right) has all the details. WILEY VIDEO Mending Broken Hearts © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality Characteristics and Cardiovascular Disease
Type-A Personality Behavior characteristics including intense ambition, competition, exaggerated time urgency, and a cynical, hostile outlook Type-B Personality Behavior characteristics consistent with a calm, patient, relaxed attitude Cynical hostility is the strongest predictor of heart disease! © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Are You Type A or Type B? Write down the number on the scale below that best characterizes your behavior for each trait. Total your score and then multiply by 3. 1. Casual about appointments Never late 2. Not competitive Very competitive 3. Never feel rushed Always rushed 4. Take things one at a time Try to do many things at once 5. Slow doing things Fast (eating, walking, etc.) 6. Express feelings “Sit" on feelings 7. Many interests Few interests outside work Engage your Students!! Have your students identify themselves as Type A or B. Lead them in a discussion about what Type A traits might be useful and which might be harmful. How might they change the behaviors that lead to poor health outcomes? A total of 120 or more indicates you're a hard-core Type A. Scores below 90 indicate you're a hard-core Type B. The following gives you more specifics: Points Personality Type 120 or more A+ A A- B+ Less than B © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personality Characteristics and Positive Psychology
Hardiness Developing Hardiness Resilient personality with a strong commitment to personal goals, control over life, and viewing change as a challenge rather than a threat. Important: Hardiness is a learned behavior!! Next time you have four exams in one week, try using the 3 C’s: I am fully committed to my college education. I can control the number of tests by taking one or two of them earlier than scheduled, or I can rearrange my work schedule. I welcome this challenge as a final motivation to enroll in those reading improvement and college success courses I’ve always planned to take. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
What can I do? Three things! 2) Signature Strengths Using signature strengths in a new way. First, take the inventory of character strengths online at and receive individualized feedback about your top five (“signature”) strengths (Peterson et al., 2005a). Use one of these top strengths in a new and different way every day for one week. Write it down. 1) Three good things in life Write down three things that went well each day and their causes every night for one week Engage Your Students!! Research in positive psychology offers THREE research-based techniques to reduce stress, decrease depression, and increase happiness. Ask your students to do #1 and #2 at home for one week and write a one-page summary of the results of their efforts. Mindful Awareness Research Center (5.00) This podcast leads you and your class through a short introductory mindfulness meditation. 3) Mindful Awareness is the moment-by-moment process of actively and openly observing one’s physical, mental and emotional experiences. Mindful Awareness has scientific support as a means to reduce stress, improve attention, boost the immune system, reduce emotional reactivity, and promote a general sense of health and well-being. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD Anxiety disorder following exposure to a life-threatening or other extreme event that evoked great horror or helplessness; characterized by flashbacks, nightmares, and impaired functioning 70% of adults have experienced a severe traumatic event 20% of them develop symptoms of PTSD ENGAGE YOUR STUDENTS!! 9/11 PTSD Therapy (1:42)—click on video icon on YOUR LEFT We know them as heroes, but many of the first-responders who survived 9/11 felt far from heroic. Instead they were shattered by post-traumatic stress. But some have been helped by a different sort of rapid response team. This Emotional Life: Understanding PTSD (3:00)—click on video icon on the MIDDLE Dr. Barbara Rothbaum is the Director of the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program at Emory University School of Medicine. In this video, she answers the following three questions: What is PTSD?, What are the symptoms of PTSD?, Can PTSD be treated? Soldiers Who Turn to Drugs and Alcohol (3:32)—click on the video link on your RIGHT ABC News reports on the relationship among stress, PTSD and the use of alcohol and other drugs. This brief report features interviews with soldiers who have experienced traumatic events. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

9/11 PTSD Therapy (icon on left) We know them as heroes, but many of the first-responders who survived 9/11 felt far from heroic. Instead, they were shattered by post-traumatic stress. As this ScienCentral News video reports, some have been helped by a different sort of rapid response team. Stephen King, a retired New York City fire fighter, got out of the World Trade Center alive on September 11th, But the trauma didn't end that day. "It overtook every aspect of my life," says King. "I couldn't enjoy anything, I couldn't get basic necessities like sleep … I was like a walking zombie, literally. All the things that always kept me occupied and busy—just nothing seemed to matter anymore.“ Post Trauma Drugs (icon on right) Some of the soldiers who fought in Iraq will return home with a wound that cannot be seen: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But as this ScienCentral News video reports, scientists may have found a potential treatment for the condition. WILEY VIDEO 9/11 PTSD Therapy WILEY VIDEO Post Trauma Drugs © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Challenge: Does Stress Cause Gastric Ulcers?
Answer these questions! First, ulcers were caused by stress, then by bacteria; now what?? 1. Hypothesis? 2. Research method (experimental, descriptive, correlational, or biological)? 3. If you chose the: Experimental method—label the IV, DV, experimental group, and control group. Descriptive method—is this a naturalistic observation, survey, or case study? Correlational method—is this a positive, negative, or zero correlation? Biological method—identify the specific research tool (e.g., brain dissection, CT scan, etc.). Read the description of the series of studies on page 110 and answer the questions to your right! What does this series of studies mean about the CAUSES of ulcers? Engage your students! Have your students read the series of studies on page 110, show the video on the Bem study, and have them meet in small groups to answer the THREE questions on the slide. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Health Psychology Health Psychology Health Psychologists: Help prepare people for surgery or other treatment Educate the public about effects of stress, smoking, alcohol, and lack of exercise Help people cope with chronic illness Help people change unhealthy behaviors such as anger expression Buzzed Brain (icon on left) Of all the addictions, some scientists say addiction to alcohol is one of the most powerful. As this ScienCentral News video reports, they may have identified what actually regulates the craving for alcohol in the brain, which could lead to new therapies for alcoholics. Alcohol and Ads (icon on right) The National Academies’ National Research Council released a much-anticipated report on Tuesday, September 9, 2003, on combating underage drinking. One recommendation: reducing young people’s exposure to alcohol advertising. As this ScienCentral News video reports, neuroscientists have studied alcohol ads' appeal to underage drinkers. Studies how biological, psychological, and social factors interact in health and fitness WILEY VIDEO Buzzed Brain WILEY VIDEO Alcohol and Ads © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Appraisal and Coping As you can see, emotion-focused coping may reduce or postpone our stress and help us “make it through the night.” Many times, however, it is necessary and more effective to use problem-solving coping, which deals directly with the stressor to decrease or eliminate it. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

For Each Situation, Suggest Both an Emotion-focused and a Problem-focused Strategy 1. You are terrible at making introductions,. You walk into your first day of fraternity rush and are asked to go around the room and introduce everyone. 2. It is the first day of classes and you are an entering freshman. About five minutes into your first class you realize you are in classroom 242, not 424. This is a physics class, not a psychology class. 3. Your department chairman has just told you that in three hours you are to make your first major presentation to the faculty to ask for continued funding for your department. 4. Your significant other has just told you that he/she is in love with someone else, is moving out tonight and is getting married next August, but wants to still be friends. 5. Your car has stalled on a deserted country road; before you can get out of your car to check under the hood, two large dogs run up to your door and start barking and growling at you. 6. Your car insurance has just been cancelled because of a mistake in your driving record. 7. You are the owner of a professional hockey team that has just lost eight games in a row. 8. You have just finished entering a twenty-page paper into your word processor thatis due in one hour. Before you have a chance to print out the report, the electrical power in your room fails and you lose the entire paper. Engage Your Students! After discussing emotion-focused and problem-focused forms of coping, give these examples of stress-producing situations and have the class suggest both an emotion-focused and a problem-focused coping strategy. Then ask for a show of hands on which type of coping strategy—emotion-focused, problem-focused, or a combination of the two—would be best for each situation. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Anti-Stress Video Game Older Women and Exercise
WILEY VIDEO Anti-Stress Video Game Anti-Stress Video Game (icon on top) A simple video game has been shown to reduce stress. As this ScienCentral News video explains, researchers at McGill University also found that playing the game resulted in increased productivity. When you’re in a crowd, do you notice the smiling faces or frowning faces? Social psychologist Mark Baldwin of McGill University in Canada says the answer might influence how much stress you’re under. Stronger Brains (icon in middle) Are you having trouble keeping that New Year's resolution to get more exercise? As this ScienCentral News video reports, scientists are finding more reasons you should stick to it. Older Women and Exercise (icon on bottom) We know that exercise can help us feel young and stay healthy. But neuroscientists say it can help us stay mentally young as well. As this ScienCentral news video reports, scientific evidence shows that’s especially true for older women. WILEY VIDEO Stronger Brains WILEY VIDEO Older Women and Exercise © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Karoshi”—Can Job Stress be Fatal?
Lethal effects of 10 – 12-hour days, six or seven days per week in Japan. 10,000 workers die from work-related cardiovascular disease per year. WARNING! The average number of work hours per week in the United States is among the highest in the developed world. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Multimedia ScienCentral News 9/11 PTSD Therapy (1:42) We know them as heroes, but many of the first responders who survived 9/11 felt far from heroic. Instead ,they were shattered by post-traumatic stress. But some have been helped by a different sort of rapid response team. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Multimedia CyberPsych Animations Managing Stress Improves Health (5:51) This animation briefly describes the General Adaptation Response, along with the SAM and HPA responses to a stressor. After indicating that this response is related to poor health outcomes, it provides examples of multiple stress -reduction techniques. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Multimedia Web Video Soldiers Who Turn to Drugs and Alcohol (3:32) ABC News reports on the relationship among stress, PTSD and the use of alcohol and other drugs. This brief report features interviews with soldiers who have experienced traumatic events. Emotions, Stress and Health (10: 58) This segment from The Brain teaching modules features commentary from scientists, dramatic reenactments, and graphic illustrations of the consequences of prolonged stress on health. Animated diagrams show the brain releasing hormones, followed by a role-playing situation illustrating on-the-job stress that may set this process in motion. Researchers explain how low-level stress leads to the breakdown of frontal lobe functioning. The World of Abnormal Psychology: The Nature of Stress (58:26) We see that stress affects many people—from the overworked and out-of-work, to survivors of suicide and homicide, to Vietnam War veterans who continually re-experience the stress of the battlefield. The program explores the long-term effects of stress and what is known about how to reduce them. Stress: Portrait of a Killer (4:39) This is a preview to Sapolsky’s fascinating work on stress. As we’ve evolved, the human stress response has saved our lives. Today, we turn on the same life-saving physical reaction to cope with intense, ongoing stressors —and we can’t seem to turn it off. “Stress: Portrait of a Killer” reveals just how dangerous prolonged exposure to stress can be. The full-length video is on the YouTube slide—well worth the time! This Emotional Life: Understanding PTSD (3:00) Dr. Barbara Rothbaum is the Director of the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program at Emory University School of Medicine. In this video, she answers the following three questions: What is PTSD? What are the symptoms of PTSD? Can PTSD be treated? © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Multimedia Psychology on the Web Mindful Awareness Research Center (5.00) This podcast leads you and your class through a short introductory mindfulness meditation. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Multimedia Web Video We know that YouTube videos are less stable  . So we have not embedded them in the PPT slide show, but offer the links, for your viewing pleasure at the end, on this page. National Geographic: Stress: Portrait of a Killer (56:05) Scientists are showing just how measurable —and dangerous—prolonged exposure to stress can be. Stanford University neurobiologist, MacArthur "genius" grant recipient, and renowned author Robert Sapolsky reveals new answers to why and how chronic stress is threatening our lives in Killer Stress, a National Geographic Special. The hour-long co-production of National Geographic Television and Stanford University was made for public television. Music Video: Black Eyed Pea: Anxiety (1:40) This song exemplifies the insidious nature of anxiety, a great unit starter—lyrics found in the comments portion of slide #1. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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