PSYABNP Module 3:

Stress and Coping

Stress and Psychopathology

• Stress plays an important role

in the development of
psychological problems and
psychopathology.
 Stress
• a person's biological and
psychological responses to
adjustive demands.

• Eustress vs. Distress

(Butcher et al., 2014)

Factors Predisposing a Person
to Stress (Butcher et al., 2014)
• Nature/Characteristics of Stressor
• Perception of the Stressor
• Coping Skills
• Resources
q Individual characteristics (e.g., optimism,
psychological control or mastery, self-
esteem)
q Social support
• Vulnerability: ”stress-sensitive”
• Stress Tolerance (ability to withstand
stress without becoming seriously impaired)
Characteristics of Stressors
Key factors:
• Severity of the stressor
• Chronicity (how long it lasts)
• Timing
• Involvement (how closely it
affects one’s life)
• Predictability (how expected it is)
• Degree of control
(Butcher et al., 2014)
 Crisis

• refers to times when a stressful

situation threatens to
overwhelm the adaptive
capacities of a person to cope.
• The person’s coping techniques
do not work anymore.

(Butcher et al., 2014)

 Resilience
• healthy psychological and physical
functioning after a traumatic event.
• the capacity to adapt successfully to
disturbances that threaten the the
functioning or the development of the
individual (Masten, 2014)
• Factors associated with increased
resilience:
q Individual characteristics (gender, age,
positive affect, optimism) and resources
(education, socioeconomic)
(Butcher et al., 2014)
 Coping Strategies
• efforts to deal with stress.

Levels of Coping with Stress:

a) Biological - immunological defenses
& damage-repair mechanisms
b) Psychological - learned coping
patterns, defenses, social support
c) Sociocultural - group resources

(Butcher et al., 2014)

Basic Coping Strategies
1. Task-oriented coping - directed
primarily at dealing with the
requirements of the stressor.
2. Defense-oriented coping - directed
primarily at protecting the self from
hurt & disorganization
– Psychological damage-repair
mechanisms
– Ego-defense mechanisms

(Butcher et al., 2014)

Decompensation

• lowering of adaptive
functioning in biological and
psychological levels.

(Butcher et al., 2014)

General Adaptation
Syndrome (GAS; Hans Selye)

- a model that explains the

course of biological and
psychological decompensation
under excessive stress.
• Major Phases:
1. Alarm reaction
2. Resistance
3. Exhaustion
(Butcher et al., 2014)
First Phase - Alarm reaction

a person’s resources for coping with

stress are alerted and mobilized.

(Butcher et al., 2014)

Second Phase –
Resistance

maximum level of
adaptation in the use of
biological and
psychological resources.

(Butcher et al., 2014)

Third Phase -
Exhaustion

adaptive resources are

depleted and the coping
patterns for resistance
begin to fail.

(Butcher et al., 2014)

 Stress Bucket Model
(Brabban & Turkington, 2002)

• Stressors fill up
the bucket
• Capacity is
affected by
vulnerability
• Good coping -
tap lets the
stress out
• Unhealthy
coping – tap
refills the bucket
Sample (Edwards et al., 2021)
 Burnout syndrome (ICD 11; WHO,
2019)

• chronic workplace • Psychological syndrome

stress - emotional exhaustion,
• 3 dimensions: depersonalization, and a
q feelings of energy diminished sense of
depletion personal accomplishment
among professionals
q increased mental working with other
distance from people in challenging
one’s job (feelings situations (Maslach,
of negativism or 1982)
cynicism related to
one's job)
q reduced
professional
efficacy
Psychological interventions
• Develop effective emotion regulation
skills
• Emotional disclosure - “opening up”
and expressive writing about life
problems (Pennebaker, 1997)
• Relaxation and meditation techniques
• Lifestyle/personality change
• Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
• Biofeedback

(Butcher et al., 2014)