STRESS

CAUSES & MEASURES

Caused by: levels of anxiety + body’s reaction to thought
processes

Forms: negative & positive (eustress)

STRESSORS: CHALLENGING

Life-changing events: death of a loved one, a divorce, a wedding,

or the birth of a child;

Manageable stressors: holidays, traffic jams, and other nuisances.

The definition of stressors is subjective

Determination of a stressor depends on its appraisal (individual

interpretation)

negative + uncontrollable events > negative + controllable

Stressors can be transient or chronic

The physiological response to stress is related to what is referred

to as a fight-or-flight response (Hans Selye)
PHYSIOLOGY & EFFECTS ON
HEALTH

arousal

alertness

energy
SELYE, 1936: GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME

Alarm The arousal of the SNS, resulting in the release of various

stimulatory hormones (corticosterone) — immediate action

The PNS rebounds to baseline (stressor relents)

Resistance
The stress continues to the exhaustion (stressor persists)

Immune system impaired —> susceptibility to illness

Exhaustion
RICHARD LAZARUS: A COGNITIVE THEORY

HOW WE
RESPOND TO
STRESS
evaluates
FIRST whether the
APPRAISAL event appears to
be stressful
assess whether
SECOND the individual
APPRAISAL can handle the
stress
TYPES OF BEHAVIOR PATTERNS RESPONDING
TO STRESS
Type-A pattern of behavior: competitiveness, a sense of urgency, and elevated
feelings of anger and hostility;

Type-B pattern of behavior: low level of competitiveness, low preoccupation with

time issues, and a generally easygoing attitude.
FRIEDMAN & ROSENMAN,
1974

Psychometric test

Example: ‘Has your partner or friend ever told you that you eat too
fast?’

Simplistic A-B — CDH (fail to determine which factor)

A LONGITUDINAL STUDY…

3000 healthy men

39-59 years old

Followed up throughout 9 years

257 men died

70% Type A died

Susceptibility to stress-related diseases (CHD)

STRESSFUL LIFE EVENT APPROACH
(THE ENGINEERING MODEL)

Holmes & Rahe, 1967

Rahe et al., 1970

Psychological measures
(self-report questionnaires)
STRESS AT WORK
2001, Higher Education
Funding Council of England,
3-year study of occupational
stress

main causes: long hours, job

security (employment), work
relationship, access to
resources, communications

Chandola et al., 2008:

biological & behavioral factors
linking work stress with CHD
THE WHITEHALL II STUDY & ITS
RESULTS

Large sample, 35-55 year-olds, 1985-2030 (2-5 years)

Self-report questionnaires + clinical data

Results: work stress is a high risk factor for CHD

OTHER FACTORS

Cultural Differences

Nature vs. Nurture

Reductionist vs. Holistic Approach

PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES
Wang et al, 2005: fMRI, mental arithmetic task, self-report, saliva samples

Ventral right prefrontal cortex plays a key role in the central stress
response

Salivary cortisol — biomarker of psychological stress

EVANS & WENER (2007)

Seating density (train) — stress

(travel)

Salivary cortisol/self-reported stress

Evaluations:

Psychometric tests — social desirability bias

Individual difference in stress thresholds

Physiological measure — time-consuming & costly

MANAGEMENT
STRESS MANGAGE:
MEDICATION

SSRI (Prozac): elevate mood

Benzodiazepines: serotonin+, GABA+

BIOFEEDBACK (BEHAVIORAL)

Electromyography

Voluntary control + operant

conditioning (shaping)

Research support for muscle

contraction headaches
(Budzynski et al., 1969, 15
samples)
GUIDED IMAGERY

Promote relaxation

Reach goals

Research support (Bridge, 1988,

breast cancer women)
CBT: STRESS INOCULATION TRAINING
(SIT)

Stressors are creative opportunities and puzzles to be solved rather than

obstacles.

Recognize thoughts that trigger a stressful experience

Intervention strategies training

THREE PHASES OF SIT
(MEICHENBAUM, 1985)
SELF-STATEMENTS EXAMPLES