Ch 5: Coping with Stress

o Stress inoculation training: in Cognitive behavior stress Management

: 1. reconceptualizing, 2. skill acquisition 3. follow through

resilience

: ability of some children to spring back from overwhelming stressors that might otherwise disrupt well being o Associated with many adult characteristics inducing forgiveness, sense of adherence and life purpose, self-efficacy, less depression, anxiety, and perceived stress

o Progressive muscle relaxation

: be aware of difference of how body feels when its relaxed. Tighten each muscle, then release, head to toe, reduces muscle tension

• Minority stress theory:

: health disparities among marginalized populations can be explained largely by culturally induces stressors

o Less effective control/under controlled

: impulsive, unable to delay gratification, aggressive, venting

• Direct effect hypotheses:

: may enhance the body's physical response to challenging situations. Better immunity, entourages healthier lifestyles, better relationships with doctors, nurses, etc

o Broaden and Build theory

: positive emotions increase physical, cognitive and social resources, which can in turn help people cope more effectively with stressful experience and live healthier lives

• Coping and Ethnicity

: relationships among SES, stress, and coping and health behaviors varies by ethnicity:

o Deep breathing and visualizing

: slows down HR, brings O2 in, slows SNS, close eyes and envision self somewhere relaxing

• Physiological Differences: WOMEN

: stronger glucocorticoid response, so a slower reaction to stress. May help explain gender differences in coronary disease, emphasize emotional coping

• Cognitive behavioral therapy:

: teaches new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting. Based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions

o Origins

individual traits, easy temperaments, high self-esteem, sense of personal control, well developed academic, social, and creative skills

• Cultural differences in choice:

individualistic versus collectivistic (group decides for you) cultures and subcultures

reactivity hypothesis

individuals who show large changes in blood pressure and vascular resistance to stress have increased risk of developing heart disease. Some controversy, may offer partial explanation -can be why men have higher risk of heart disease

o Emotional disclosure : James Pennebaker

is associated with a variety of positive health benefits. decreased cardiovascular mortality, reduce physiological activity linked to event, increased likelihood of reappraisal and development of plan to deal with stressful situations

CBSM: Stage 3 follow through

learn to use the coping skills in everyday life, cope before each day before you feel pain/stress, don't wait till that point

CBSM: Stage 2 skills acquisition

learning relaxation and controlled breathing skills, help manage pain and stress, have more pleasant thoughts associated with it - learn that being tense is incompatible with being relaxed. It will cancel it out

o Positive reappraisal

looking at situation in as many different ways as you can, so you can see it as not a threatening

• Stein and Nyamathi reported

low SES takes greater toll on woman then men: more frequent avoidant coping strategies, passive behaviors, fantasizing, antisocial behaviors, also more single moms than usual. High stress

• When social supports is Not helpful: may

may backfire when it is not wanted or it is inadequate. The type of support offered is not what is needed at the moment

• Buffering hypothesis:

may mitigate stress indirectly through the use of more effective coping strategies

• Choice

minimal or no choice is linked to detrimental effects on motivation, performance, and health. Too much choice may also be detrimental to motivation and well-being

• Pessimism

negative explanatory style, attributions that are global, stable, and internal. Tendency to ruminate and passively disengage/withdraw, associated with anger, hostility, repression, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, linked to early mortality.

• Avoidant coping

not getting out there to try and solve problem, doing behaviors that won't help like hoping to win lottery ticket

Who receives social support?

o Better social skills receive more support! -angry and hostile people have less support and perceive life as more negative

• Visualization Strategies:

o Mindfulness Based stress reduction MBSR o Mindfulness based cognitive therapy MBCT

• Coping Interventions

o Stress management o Stress inoculation training: o Progressive muscle relaxation o Relaxation response: o Deep breathing and visualizing o Positive self-affirmation or self-talk

• Minority stress model:

stigma, prejudice and discrimination often create a stressful social environment for other minorities, including LGBTQ population

• Problem-Focused Coping:

strategy dealing directly with a stressor by reducing its demands or increasing one's resources for meeting those demands

• Emotional-Focused Coping

strategy in which a person tries to control his or her emotional response to a stressor -escape, distancing, positive appraisal

• Low SES associated with

substandard housing, limited access to healthcare, greater incidence of health compromising behaviors, including chronic inflammation-related diseases

o Escape avoidance:

take off

• Personal Control:

the belief that people make their own decisions and determine what they do or what others do to them -self efficacy -learned helplessness

• Physiological Differences: MEN

Men have stronger catecholamine reactivity to stressors. May reflect tendency of men to be more hostile than women. Emphasize problem focused coping

o Pitt County study

SES is positively related to stress in African-American men, which is the inverse of what was said above. This can be because black man who have been very successful they are outside the "norm" and have broken the barrier, you are then representing an entire group.

• Problem focused: is best for

School and work related stressors. Works best If there is something you can do to change it only (e.g. it won't work for incoming tornado

o Relaxation response:

a meditative state of relaxation in which metabolism slows and blood pressure lowers

o SES is inversely related to stress levels amongst most groups

as you go higher in income groups, stress usually goes down

o Optimism bias

belief that other people are more likely than oneself to develop disease, be injured, or experiences other negative events

o Unrealistic optimism

if a person thinks good outcomes are bound to happen, they may not do anything in the face of illness

• Why is optimism beneficial?

broaden and build

o Good regulatory control

calmer, able to delay gratification, control emotions, more problem focused coping

• Cardiovascular Reactivity CVR

changes in cardiovascular activity that are related to psychological stress. -threat appraisal reactivity hypothesis

• Coping

cognitive, behavioral, and emotional way in which people manage stressful situations

o Social Support

companionship from others that conveys emotional concern, material assistance, or honest feedback

• How would Pessimism Shorten Life?

experience more unpleasant events, more stress -believe they are helpless -more depression -weaker immunity -low self efficacy

• People who perceive strong social supports show ...

faster recovery, fewer medical complications, lower mortality rates at any age, and less distress in the face of terminal illness

o Mindfulness Based stress reduction MBSR

focus on using structured meditation to promote mindfulness, a moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental awareness. Suggests stress can be reduced by overriding autopilot behavior mode and focusing on present moment

• Other factors related to effective coping:

gratitude/focus on what is good in life, humor, pets, spirituality

• Cognitive behavior stress Management: CBSM

has proven effective in helping people cope with hypertension, depression, associated with chronic illness, and in reducing HPA axis hormones. Stress inoculation training included a three-stage process to help build immunity to stressful events 1. reconceptualization 2. skills acquisition 3. follow through

o Positive self-affirmation or self-talk

identify negative talk and convert them to healthier, more positive talks - I am healthy and strong - there is nothing i can't handle

• Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Coping

one of the more important factors with respect to health and coping! o Impoverished families experience more pollution. Substandard housing, crime, low pay work, limited education, lack of access to health, insurance, and healthcare o Children from low SES homes experience more divorce, punitive parenting

• Explanatory Style

person's propensity to attribute outcomes to positive causes or negative causes

Optimism

positive emotional increase a person physical, cognitive, and social resources o positive explanatory style and active engagement o Related to shorter hospital stays, shorter/faster recoveries, longer lives o Promote healthier life styles o Mat also help sustain immune functioning

o Distancing

pretending the issue isn't happening

• Factors Affecting Ability To Cope

resilience origins social support explanatory style pessimism

• Vagal Tone and Coping with Stress:

runs entire length of body, and makes a noise. High tone is inversely related to negative emotional arousal, and you are in coping mode of conflict.

• Emotional Focused is best for

some health issues, rumination (go over problem in head constantly and you cant shut it down), emotional cascade/meltdown takes over

• Coping strategies vary In effectiveness:

some provide only temporary relief, and some are maladaptive in the long term (bad for health)

CBSM: Stage 1 Reconceptualizing

think about the source of their stress, -like realizing that most of your stress from your upcoming root canal is mostly psychological.

o Mindfulness based cognitive therapy MBCT

used to self-regulate negative reactions to stress, fMRI research on brain functioning and mindfulness training

o Stress management

variety of psychological methods designed to reduce the impact of potentially stressful experiences

-threat appraisal

vascular responder, total peripheral resistance, myocardial reactivity

• Regulatory Control:

ways in which people modulate their thinking, emotions, and behavior over time and across changing circumstances - good control or less control

o Martin Seligman: learned helplessness

you can learn to be helpless, like dogs will not jump over barrier if they learned they couldn't escape the shock like the first group. They learn they can't help themselves even if collar is off