Stress

What Is Stress?

Your definition…Stimulus or Response? Or interaction?

Stressor — (stimulus) event or situation that triggers coping adjustments

Stress reaction – How do you respond to stress? What are your “symptoms?”

physiological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral

Stress as process – interaction between event, perception, and reaction

The Physiology of Stress

Walter Cannon (1932)

Fight-or-flight reaction Outpouring of substances that prepare an

organism to defend against a threat Adaptive for our ancestors (but contributes

to stress-related illnesses in modern times)

Brain and Endocrine System in Stress

Sympathoadreno-Medullary (SAM) System The body’s initial, rapid-acting response to

stress -- epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal medulla

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical (HPAC) System The body’s second response to stress --

secretion of corticosteroid hormones from the adrenal cortex

Stress Pathways

Measuring Stress

Physiological Measures Polygraph or Biofeedback machine—records

several arousal responses, including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, and GSR (measure of the skin’s resistance to electricity)

Fluid samples – (e.g., saliva) to test for catecholamine and cortisol production

Subjective Measures Stress questionnaires

Variability in stress response

Stress reactivity: people vary in their sweating, pupil dilation and changes in heart rate when stressed.

Stress recovery: People vary in the speed with which they return to normal after being stressed.

Stress resistance: People vary in their stress responses due to coping, social support etc

Sources of Stress

List your top five stressorsStressors

Common hassles School demands Noise – residents near airports have higher BP

& stress Crowding Relationship issues Sleep deprivation Job stress (next slides)

Job-Related Stress

Job-related stress costs: absenteeism reduced productivity worker compensation benefits

Research study: “Overload in Working Mothers”

BCBS workersMeasures:

Urine samples (to look for metabolites of stress hormones)

Daily mood scaleResults: feel stressed (esp w/ children at

home) High stress (low perceived control + high

demand) increased urinary neurohormones

Sources of Stress

Stressors (continued) Major life events (e.g., divorce,

moves) Catastrophic stressors (next slide)

Sources of Stress: Catastrophes

Oklahoma City, 9/11, Katrina, etc. Increased incidence of hypertension, heart

disease, and other stress-related ailments Rates of depression, anxiety, and other

psychological disorders increase

New Orleans Suicide Rate May Be UpAssociated Press - September 14, 2006 – New Orleans' suicide rate appears to have gone

up in the first six months after Hurricane Katrina evacuees were allowed back home

How does a potential stressor

lead to stress?

“I have had a great many troubles in my life…

And most never happened…”

Mark Twain

Perception and stress

Perceiving Stress

Many situations are not inherently stressful… depends on appraisal:

• Primary appraisal — determination of an event’s meaning

• Secondary appraisal — evaluation of one’s ability to meet the demands of a challenging event

Cognitive appraisals are extremely susceptible to one’s current state of mood, health, motivation

Stress and Illness (next powerpoint)