Stress Test #3

Changing demographics on the decision to have children

-Other thoughts on advantages to having children, modern Western culture ----children give & receive love ----may enhance relationship ----builds self-esteem, sense of accomplishment ----greater meaning & satisfaction -Other cultures/historic reasons ----Political ----Economic/Labor ----Heritage ----"social security" -More people than in the past are choosing to be "kid-free." ----In 2008, 18% of women age 40-44 were childless (compared with 9% in 1975). --------24% of women ages 40-44 with a master's, doctoral or professional degree -Perceived advantages of remaining childless ----more time for self and companion ----more financial resources ----marriages less stressful ----more spontaneity

Possible selves

-Past behaviors and achievements -Others' perceptions ----Parents ----Siblings ----Peers -Own perceptions about achievements and comparisons to others Who am I? ----self-concept ----beliefs How good am I as a person? ----self-esteem ----worthiness ----self-efficacy ----accomplishments

Uplifts

-Positive events that happen in the course of a day -They could counteract the effects of hassles and help lower stress levels and improve performance

The goals of interventions associated with major life events and daily hassles

-Reduce exposure to stressors -Systemic interventions -----Macrosystems -----Programs -----Coordination of efforts -Family-and individual-level interventions -----Avoiding -----Coping

Gratitude

-"The recognition of the unearned increments of value in one's life..." -"Affirming goodness and recognizing that the sources of this goodness are outside the self" -Gratitude can be an emotion/attitude that we experience after receiving something -a gift, help, anything. -Gratitude is not a feeling of being indebted -when we owe others, we can resent or avoid them. When we are grateful to them, we want to be with them. -Can be cultivated intentionally

Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model

-Developed by Karney & Bradbury (1995) -Integrate stressors, hassles and family resources to understand how stress challenges family well-being -How the family responds to the stressful events is explained by how these other factors impact them -Chance occurrences: ----Major life stressors ----Unpredictable traumatic experiences -Everyday hassles -Enduring vulnerabilities ----Family members' relatively stable characteristics -personality, temperament -and background -FOO -Adaptive processes ----Resources available to deal with hassles ----Inversely related to family stress -Families have tasks to accomplish in the context of maintaining relationships and family function -Much of the required work is mundane and repetitive -These can produce stress and hassles -Much of the hassles families experience is due to mismatch between cultural expectations and the realities of modern families -Families can provide buffers from daily hassles: Parents withdrawal can protect children from emotional negativitySpouses can step in for each other

Barriers to changes in the workplace that will reduce daily hassles, and strategies that might help to overcome these barriers

-Lack of management and supervisor support -Rigid job descriptions and personnel practicesLack of sense of ownership/responsibility -Barriers in laws and general agreements -Lack of participation in project -Supervisor fear of loosing power -Management fear of loosing money -Employer "buy in" -Demonstrate benefits: -----Employee retention -----Employee satisfaction -----Improved performance -----Improved productivity -Employee "buy in" -Demonstrate benefits: -----Stress reduction -----Improved work experience/satisfaction -----Improved health -----Impact on family relations

Self vs social identity

-Self-identity is how you see yourselve -Social identity is how others see you

Health, substance and alcohol use issues in different life cycle stages

-Smoking: More than half of cancers are related to smoking (American Cancer Society) ----Risks with second-hand smoke -Drinking Alcohol: Binge drinking: type of drinking defined for men as consuming five or more drinks in a row and for women as consuming four or more drinks in a row within the past 2 weeks -Addiction: physical dependence on a substance such that withdrawal symptoms are experienced when deprived of that substance

Launching young adults

-Stage one-the single young adult must separate from her/his family of origin without cutting off or fleeing. -Derailment occurs when families don't let go of their adult children or the adult children remain dependent or rebel

Eliminating Unnecessary Stressors

-Start at the top of the stress theory model -----Identify and eliminate as many distressors as possible. -Use a diary to identify generalizations -----Routine stressors (experienced often) -----Unique stressors (seldom experienced) -----Reactions to each stressor (physiological/psychological) -----Means of coping -----Evaluation of coping techniques

Families in later life

-The primary task of stage six is adjustment to aging. -Derailment may consist of difficulties with retirement, financial insecurity, declining health and illness, dependence on one's adult children, the loss of a spouse or other family members and friends.

Forming the couple

-The task of this stage is to form a new family system separate and distinct from the couple's families of origin. -Derailment may consist of enmeshment (failure to separate from a family of origin) or distancing (failure to stay connected). -Couples may experience interpersonal difficulties in intimacy and commitment.

Cohen's common cold studies

-Large scale prospective experimental investigations of stress and the common cold -Age, gender, weight, ethnicity, season, smoking, alcohol, diet exercise, sleep not related to stress and illness -Viral Infection: 82% of the volunteers receiving virus were infected. -Clinical Colds= both infected and diagnosed by the clinician as having a clinical cold. 38% developed clinical colds. Which stress factors predicted colds?-Perceived Stress (PSS) -Life eventsNegative mood PSS & negative mood predicted actual viral infectionLife events predicted development of clinical symptoms

Major life events

-Life events function as stressors -When many life events occur in a short period of time, enough stress can be induced to alter health -Major changes in life circumstances, such as getting married, starting (or losing a job), or losing a loved one. -Distress and Eustress -College Undergraduate Stress Scale (CUSS) ----Identifies stressful events common to a college studentSimilar in construction to Holmes and Rahe's scale

Reasons for individuals choosing to marry, including reasons that predict positive outcome versus negative benefits of marriage

-Love and Companionship-the single greatest attraction of marriage is continuous, intimate companionship with an intimate partner. -Children-A very traditional reason for getting married. -Adult Identity-You have finally "grown up"! -Commitment and personal fulfillment•an overwhelming number of Americans (88%), say marriage should be a life long commitment. -Continuity and Permanence-Marriage promises stability! -Social Legitimacy-Getting married to legitimate an "out of wedlock" pregnancy. -Social Pressure-sometimes parents pressure their children that haven't married, especially if they are pregnant. -Economic Security-some marry others for their money-typically these marriages don't last. -Rebellion or Revenge-Young people sometimes do this to their parents. -Practical Solutions to problems-these types of relationships tend not to last either.

Changing American Demographics

-Majority of American families now have no children younger than 18 years of age -People are marrying older and the highest number of births occur to women over 30 -From 1970 to 2015, percentage of two-parent families decreased from 85% to 65% -As of 2015, 30% of children live with single parent or no parent -40% of births are to unmarried women -Mean age for first birth in 2014 was 26 years old

Gender differences in marriage

-Married men have longer life expectancies than single men. -Married men earn between 10% and 40% more than single men with similar education. -Marriage increases the likelihood fathers will have good relationships with their children. -Married mothers have lower rates of depression than single or cohabiting mothers. -Marriage significantly reduces poverty rates for both mothers and their children. -Married women appear to have a lower risk of domestic violence. -Even after controlling for race, age, and education, people who cohabit are three times more likely to report violent arguments than married women.

Daily Hassles Scale

-Measures irritating, daily demands as rated by the person ----too many things to do ----misplacing things ----argument with family member, -Stronger associations with illness than the Social Readjustment Rating Scale

State gratitude vs trait gratitude

-More than a particular trait -a way of approaching life in general . One's mindset is that life is a gift. -Gratitude is a very positive emotion. The practice of nurturing positive emotions becomes self-sustaining and self-reinforcing. -Different from hope, trust or optimism. It is an attitude of seeing events in life -even certain adversities -as gifts -The more we practice gratitude, the more we see the positive results, and the more we are inclined to keep practicing it. -Gratitude has one of the strongest links to mental health of any character trait.

Parents with young children

-On stage three, the new family is tasked with becoming caretakers to the next generation -Derailment at this stage involves couple, and parenting issues. Maintaining appropriate boundaries with both sets of grandparents may become an issue. -Couples must work out a division of labor, a method of making decisions, and must balance work with family obligations and leisure pursuits.

Relationships between stressors, hassles, and health

Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

Boomerang children

Financial constraints of contemporary environment lead children to move back home after initial independence

Normative transitions

Normal things the majority of families go through

Personality effects on responses to hassles, including defining characteristics of type A, type B, and Hardy personalities

Type A personality: Ambitious, time conscious, hardworking, high levels of hostility, anger, easily annoyed *Leads to heart disease because of hostility Type B personality: Relaxed and laid-back, Less driven and competitive, Slow to anger Type C personality: Pleasant but repressed, Tends to internalize anger and anxiety, Finds expressing emotions difficult Type D personality: Negative affectivity (Tendency to experience negative emotions), Social Inhibition (Tendency to inhibit emotions and behaviors in social interactions)

Stockholm bus driver study

Typical job hassles -Traffic congestion -Illegally parked cars blocking bus -Risky driving behaviour of others -Sudden brakings -Slow passengers -Helpless passengers -Hostile passengers -Mechanical difficulties -Full bus -Late arrival of driver for next shift Interventions -Broadening and improvements of streets -Route configurations to reduce bottlenecks -Separate bus-lanes -Reduced number of bus-stops -Changes in the design of bus-stops -Signal priority for buses -Automated passenger information system *Less stress after interventions

Cheng study of gratitude with health providers

-120 Participants in Hong Kong working in health care (Majority Physicians or Nurses) -Random Assignment to Control, Hassle or Gratitude condition -Comparison of pre, post and 3 month follow-up ----depression scale ----perceived stress scale -Gratitude and Hassle condition wrote twice per week Gratitude Intervention: Different things happen at work every day. Some are minor, some are important. Whether minor or important, sometimes you feel thankful that these events have happened to you. For example, you may feel thankful that a colleague swapped schedules with you, or helped you in some way that made your job easier. Hassles Intervention: Different things happen at work every day. Some are minor, some are important. Whether minor or important, sometimes you feel annoyed or even angry that these events have actually happened to you. For example, you might feel annoyed because a patient's relative made a complaint about you, or because the work was exhausting. LOOK AT CHARTS

Psychological effects of gratitude

-A large body of research suggests that people who are more grateful have greater levels of psychological well-being. -Few studies exist which show the effects of gratitude on physical health. However, some studies suggest that it reduces stress and improves quantity and quality of sleep. -Gratitude is a strong predictor of lower risk of: ----Major depression ----Alcohol/Other Drug Abuse or Dependence ----Generalized Anxiety disorder ----Phobias ---Bulimia -Gratitude is also strongly related to overall mood and sense of satisfaction in life. The more we express gratitude, the happier we tend to be overall.

The interaction between identity, family, and self-esteem

-A positive self-identity is connected to positive self-esteem -Having a social identity that is devalued will affect overall self-esteem -Quality of relationship with family can push adolescent in particular direction -Adolescent's efforts can impact relationship with family

Marriage and children

-A successful marriage increases the likelihood that children will graduate from college and achieve high-status jobs. -Children who live with their married parents enjoy better health. -The health advantages of married homes remain even after taking into account socioeconomic status. -Parental divorce approximately doubles the odds that adult children will end up divorced.

Family Life Cycle

-All individuals and all families go through predictable, normative developmental crises. -Disruption in a family life cycle stage can interfere with individual development ; similarly disruption in an individual's life cycle stage can interfere with a family's life cycle development Carter and McGoldrick identify six family life cycle stages: (1)Launching the young adult (2)The couple (3)Families with children (4)Families with adolescents (5)Launching children and moving on (6)Families in later life

Holmes & Rahe's Social readjustment scale

-Arbitrarily assigned numbers of life change units -Assesses the number of life changes in a period of time -Predicts the likelihood of developing illness

Role of social-historical context in family stress and everyday hassles

-Contagious diseases vs chronic diseases -Biopsychosocial model: ----Health psychology examines the relationship between psychological behavior and physical health/illness -Focus of health psychology is on ----Wellness ----Prevention of illness -Major causes of death are not infectious but are related to behavior and lifestyle

Obstacles to gratitude

-Entitlement: Self-absorption / Belief we are 'owed' what we want in life. -Victimhood: Life view of having been wronged -and living accordingly, rather than taking responsibility for personal change. -Rugged Individualism: Lacking an understanding of one's place in community -refusal to accept one's interdependence with others. -Materialism: When one's focus in life is primarily on obtaining things, the capacity for gratitude is diminished. The void cannot be filled. -Taking Things for Granted: Living on the assumption that situations will always be as they are. (Nothing can make one appreciate one's health like a serious illness.) -Manipulation: Someone whose relationships are built on manipulation cannot relate to free exchange of gifts -everything is a negotiation. The cannot feel grateful. -Suffering: Extreme suffering can block the possibility of gratitude (at the time it is present). When suffering dissipates, gratitude can arise upon reflection. -Amnesia: Allowing grateful memories to fade invites emptiness and self-pity, while reducing the likelihood that we will continue to practice gratitude. -Lack of Reflection: Overly busy and stressed, we can easily move gratitude meditation from our priority list. (We forget to remember.) -Negative Moods: Negative moods can become our focus and we can forget to shift attention to what is right in our experience.

How do transitioning between life stages effect individual's relationship with their family of origin predictors of successful marriage

-Healthy family will support developing adulthood ----How much is too much? ----How much is too little? -Boundaries change as child moves out of home into college/career -Boomerang children ----Financial constraints of contemporary environment lead children to move back home after initial independence Predictors of success -Common skills -Good emotional & physical health -High self esteem -High education level -Older age at first marriage -High social status• -Longer courtship ----average engagement 9 months ----average acquaintance 2 -2 1/2 years)

Empty nest

-If the family has developed significant skills through the family life cycle, children will be ready to leave home, ready to handle life's challenges. -Free from the everyday demands of parenting, couples are free to rekindle marriage and possibly career goals. -Developing adult relationships with one's children is a key skill in this stage. -Parents may be challenged to accept new members into the family through children's marriages or relationships. -Family may also be caring for aging parents in this phase, which can be stressful and affect their own health. -Specific goals to attain at this stage include: ----Refocusing on the marriage without children. ----Developing adult relationships with grown children. ----Realigning relationships to include in-laws and grandchildren when the children begin their own families.

Parents with adolescence

-In stage four, families must establish qualitatively different boundaries for adolescents than for younger children. -Derailment at this stage is related to adolescent exploration, friendships, substance use, sexual activity and school -Parents may face a mid-life crisis

Launching phase

-The primary task of stage five is to adapt to the numerous exits and entries to the family system. -Derailment may occur when families hold on to the last child or parents become depressed at the empty nest. -Derailment may also occur when parents decide to divorce or adult children return home.

Unique attributes of families in later life, including those related to family, health, and retirement;

-Task: to adjust to aging, loss of a spouse, and decreased energy -Being a grandparent or foster grandparent -More freedom to do what one wants at one's pace -Experience the enjoyment of having lived and participated in a number of important life cycle events -Physical decline, chronic illness, dependency can become an issue -Worry about finances, especially if retirement finances not well planned -Recovering after the loss of a spouse is a difficult and prolonged process -Inability to establish good relationships with children, in-laws, or grandchildren can be source of grief Goals of Older Adults -Erikson's final stage of development in late adulthood, integrity vs despair, occurs after age 65. -One of the goals of people at this stage is to look at life with satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment. -Older adults evaluate the events of their lives and their achievements. -If they have lived their lives with integrity, they are likely to be satisfied. Expanding Opportunities in Late Adulthood -Many adults look forward to retirement so that they can pursue new interests. -Others choose to continue to work or even change careers. -For many, volunteering is another way of staying active. •Stratification by Age: as they grow older, people may be consigned to their own places and activities ----industrialized nations tend to segregate older people -disengagement theory: aging makes a person's social sphere increasingly narrow, resulting in role relinquishment, withdrawal, and passivity -activity theory: elderly people want and need to remain active in a variety of social spheres—with relatives, friends, and community groups—and become withdrawn only unwillingly, as a result of ageism

What the challenges and tasks are for a couple who are in the empty nest stage of the life cycle

-Task: to rediscover each other as a couple, deal with midlife events, and encourage their children to be independent -Couples may have problems over financial matters, sexual issues, ways in dealing with in-laws and grown children. -For women who invested heavily in their children, this can be a time of sadness, depression, despondency. -A sense of conflict with a child who is not becoming independent enough -A sense of frustration or anger in regard to one's marriage or career ambitions

Life story

-The first stage is the most critical stage of the family life cycle. As one enters young adulthood, one begins to separate emotionally from the family. -During this stage, the person strives to become fully able to support him/herself emotionally, physically, socially, and financially. -They begin to develop unique qualities and characteristics that define their individual identity.

Daily hassles

-When we think of family stress, we think of major events ----Predictable life transitions ----Unpredictable traumas -Most of a family's life does not entail any of these. -Daily life is full of mundane activities: Cooking, cleaning, running errands, paying bills, etc. These can introduce a low level of stress and are called hassles -Like major stressors, hassles can be predictable or unpredictable ----Uneventful commute vs traffic jam from accident -Two differences from major life events: ----Hassles are more frequent and continuous forms of stress ----Hassles are typically relatively minor ongoing stressors that occupy daily living -Competing requirements of work and home can increase this stress -Any one of these is manageable -As the hassles pile up, they can increase the stress experienced by individuals and the family as a whole -Routine sources of annoyance or aggravation that have a negative impact on health. -Blocking some daily goal or depleting resources -Most frequent type of stressor -May appear minor but can pile up and result in major stress effects -Require Positive Coping in the form of ----optimism, reinterpretation of stressor, humor in retrospect, and realistic appraisal

Losing a spouse

-Widowhood among elderly is common and problematic—especially the first two years after death -Women tend to marry men older than themselves and live longer than men -The average woman in America will be a widow 14 years -In 2014, 35% older women were widows

Sex and age differences in the results of research on daily hassles

-Women tend to be more responsible for the things that encompass daily hassles -Women experience them as more stressful -Women report hassles are also uplifting as expressions of care for loved ones

Midlife crisis

-an emotional state of doubt and anxiety in which a person becomes uncomfortable with the realization that life is halfway over. -It commonly involves reflection on what the individual has done with his or her life up to that point, often with feelings that not enough was accomplished. -The individuals experiencing such may feel boredom with their lives, jobs, or their partners, and may feel a strong desire to make changes in these areas. -The start of "crisis" ranges from the ages of 35-50, with the average age of onset being 46. -Mid life crises last about 3-10 years in men and 2-5 years in women, but length varies. There is research indicating that midlife crises occur more often in men than women. -Midlife crisis may occur naturally or may be triggered by life-altering events such as death, divorce, children leaving, etc... or may not occur at all. -Rates of depression, suicide, and divorce, however, show no significant increase during the "midlife crisis" years.

Coping with retirement

Deciding When to Retire -social scientists and political leaders have assumed that older adults wanted employment -recent sociological and psychological research finds that most older adults want to stop working as soon as they are eligible Retirement and Marriage -research says that it is best for both spouses to retire together -neither is satisfied if the other is still working and making family decisions Continuing Education -retirement offers the time and opportunity to take classes -1 out of 4 U.S. adults age 66 and older were enrolled in continuing education in 2005 Volunteer Work -is suitable for elderly people who have adequate pensions or other sources of income -volunteering allows the elderly to gain status and to find "new meaning..." Religious Involvement -studies show that religious involvement of all kinds correlates with physical and emotional health as well as long life Political Activism -the elderly are more politically active -frequently write to their elected representatives -vote in off-year elections -identify with a political party -join groups that lobby Aging in Place -refers to a preference of elderly people to remain in the same home and community, adjusting but not leaving when health fades -If illness or other impairment occurs, this will require effort/coordination on the part of the family ----40 million unpaid elder care-givers ----57% of these are women•Many are themselves older

Erikson's Identity vs Role Confusion

Either find your identity or be confused, will hinder later development

Strategies that can cultivate and enhance gratitude

GRATITUDE LIST -What part of my life brings me the most joy or appreciation? -What am I looking forward to today? -How can I be of maximum service today in some small way? -How can I be the best person I can be today? -What do I appreciate most about my relationship with ? -What step can I take today in the direction of my own growth? -Who can I help today? -What is one of my greatest character traits? -How can I allow that character trait to benefit others? -What will doing this exercise do to support my own recovery? How to Use the Gratitude List -Answer the preceding questions. -Now, reflect on your answers, and allow yourself to feel good about these things. -If any answers involve others in your life, thank those on the list you can today. Thank the others as soon as you can. -Do this every day for 2 weeks. -See how your perspective on your life can change. -See how your mood and sense of well-being can improve, and how your actions toward self and others change. -In order to make gratitude a central part of our lives, we must make it a conscious activity in which we engage on a regular basis. It will not become habit on its own. -The ease with which we slip into old stress routines parallels the ease with which we let any gratitude practice slip away. Coping with the daily hassles becomes the priority. -In order to make any new practice real, meaningful and consistent, it needs to be scheduled into our day.

Marsha's Identity Status

Identity achievement: both exploration and commitment Identity moratorium: exploration with no commitment Identity foreclosure: commitment with no exploration Identity diffusion: no exploration or commitment

Changing needs in parenting children and adolescents

Parenting young children -Adapting children into other relationships, including the marriage, is a key emotional process of this stage. -Couples will take on the parenting role and transition from being a member of a couple to being a parent. -While the couple is still evolving as individuals, they are also becoming decision-makers for the family. -Continuing to express one's individuality while working well together as a couple results in a strong marriage. -A child's healthy development depends on the parents' ability to provide a safe, loving, and organized environment. -Children benefit when their parents have a strong marriage. -Caring for young children cuts into the amount of time adults might otherwise spend alone or with their spouse. Parenting adolescents -Parenting teenagers can be a rough time for a family and can test the couples' relationship skills. It's also a time for positive growth and creative exploration for the entire family. -Families that function best during this period have strong, flexible marriages developed through good communication, problem solving, mutual caring, support, and trust. -Most teens experiment with different thoughts, beliefs, and styles, which can cause family conflict. Specific goals during the stage of parenting adolescents include: -Shifting parent-child relationships to allow the child to move in and out of the family system. -Shifting focus back to midlife marital and career issues. -Beginning a shift toward concern for older generations in the extended family.

What individuals learn as a function of becoming a couple

People may find that some of the ideas or expectations that they held in the past are not realistic at this stage. Some common areas of adjustment include: -Finances. -Lifestyle. -Recreational activities or hobbies. -Relationships with in-laws. -Sexuality or sexual compatibility. -Friendships. -Putting another person's needs before your own. -The ultimate goal at this stage is to achieve interdependence, which occurs when a person is able to fully enter into a relationship with another person. -Interdependence also requires that one share goals and be able to occasionally place the needs of another above one's own.

Caring for the frail elderly

The Demands of Family Care -often caregivers of the elderly are themselves elderly -caregivers often experience substantial stress -sometimes caregivers feel fulfilled by their experiences -designated caregivers are often chosen less for practical reason than because of cultural expectation -respite care ----an arrangement in which a professional caregiver relieves a frail elderly person's usual family caregiver for a few hours each day or for an occasional weekend Long-Term Care -assisted living ----provides some of the privacy and independence of living at home, along with some medical supervision -Success depends on ----Adjustment of the elder ----Proximity and attitude of family ----Quality of arrangement