Stress

A state of physiological or psychological arousal in response to threatening or challenging events

Stress involves an individual’s perception that the challenges they are facing exceed the ability to cope

A positive psychological response to a stressor that energises us to perform at our optimum (e.g. enthusiastic, excited, active, alert)

A negative psychological response to a stressor that drains energy and lowers performance (e.g. anger, anxiety, nervousness, irritability, tension)

• Behavioural changes: strained facial expressions, hand tremors, sleep disturbances, eating changes, aggressive behaviour
• Emotional changes: anxiousness, depressed, angry, helpless, negative attitude
• Cognitive changes: perceptions, ability to learn, exaggerated thoughts, poor concentration
• CATASTROPHISING – over emphasising the impact of negative events

An automatic, adaptive response in which the sympathetic nervous system is activated causing an increase in level of arousal, mobilising the body to either confront or avoid a stressor.

• A chain of hormonal responses aimed at controlling
• the reactions of stress

• Hypothalamus activates when stressor is present
• Pituitary gland secretes hormone ACTH
• ACTH travels through blood
• Adrenal glands secrete cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline; fight-flight is activated

Focuses on the cognitive component of stress. Stress is regarded as an interaction between the person and the environment; where the person’s individual interpretation determines if the situation is stressful and if they can cope.

the recognition of a potentially stressful situation in which the person assesses the situation as stressful, benign or irrelevant - and if stressful, evaluate the significance:

• Harm/loss: how much damage has already occurred
• Threat: harm/loss that may not have occurred yet but could occur in the future
• Challenge: involves an assessment of the potential for personal gain or growth from the situation

The stage where the person considers what options and resources (internal/external) are available to them and how they will respond to a stressor

The prediction of which feelings will be experienced with any option associated with stress or fight-or-flight options.

• Primary appraisal: the person predicts what feelings the given situation will produce.
• Secondary appraisal: the person predicts the possible emotional impact of each potential response.

• - Used human subject
• - Used a cognitive approach to stress
• - Focused on how people cope with psychological stress
• - Took both mental processes and emotions into account when examining how a person interprets a situation as stressful or not

• - Lack of emphasis on the physiological elements of the stress response
• - Does not consider social, cultural or environmental factors in perception of stress
• - Lack of empirical evidence

Social: social readjustment/major life events, social isolation

Cultural: acculturation (adopting new culture), racism

Environmental: poverty, crowding, catastrophe

Social: social readjustment/major life events, social support

Cultural: cultural participation, ethnic enclaves

Environmental: employment - access to basic necessities, avoidance - policy to minimise crowing, stress inoculation

Refers to the body’s ability to maintain a balance in day-to-day automatic functions by adjusting and changing to meet internal and external demands. It helps the body achieve stability by changing.

It is the process of returning metabolic rate to a balanced state of homeostasis

The accumulated number of stressors that a person is experiencing.

• - Multiple stressors lead to recurrent and frequent activation of the fight-flight response
• - This has a cumulative effect (allostatic overload) that can result in wear and tear due to frequent exposure to stress hormones

A technique that enables an individual to receive information about bodily responses, and with appropriate training, learn to control responses using thought processes and relaxation techniques

Criticism: often doesn’t work outside lab setting

Meditation: an intentional attempt to bring about a deeply relaxed state in order to reduce effects of stress-related symptoms.

Relaxation: any activity that brings about a state of reduced psychological and/or physiological tension.

Refers to an activity that requires exertion with the purpose of improving physical fitness or health.

• - Uses up HPA hormones
• - Endorphins
• - Releases muscle tension

• Appraisal support: Improves understanding of situation
• Tangible assistance: Material support (financial, food, etc)
• Information support: specific advice on dealing stress.
• Emotional support: targets emotional reactions by reassuring a person under stress that they are an individual who is cared for and valued.

Coping: changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to meet stressors

Reappraisal: going back over an earlier stressor to determine if it warrants further attention

Problem-focused coping: Fix the source of stress

Emotional-focused coping: strategies to deal with emotional responses to the stressor

A reaction that involves physiological and psychological changes a person experiences when confronted by a stressor